CUSHING, Okla. (KFOR) — An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper had quite the scare while driving his patrol car along a highway in Cushing.
On Friday, Trooper Tony Harper was driving along Highway 33 in Cushing when a vulture smashed into his windshield.
“He said it sounded like a gunshot going off inside his unit as glass and feathers went everywhere,” according to the OHP.
Harper was able to pull over to the shoulder and turn his car off to assess what had happened.
Harper, who had been responding to a crash, said a tow truck driver came back to check on him. He also said passing drivers stopped to make sure he was OK after the strange collision.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, collisions with vehicles are believed to be among the top five causes of bird deaths in the country. According to a study, about 89 million to 340 million birds die each year in such collisions on U.S. roads.