Airwolf
Member
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story.asp?id=25056
4/1/2003 2:10:51 PM
Bird brained
I-94 driver fowls out as turkey crashes into windshield.
Leader-Telegram Staff
_
In a split second, Ben McGriff saw the big, dark flash headed right for his car.
“Before I even had time to react -- boom!†he said.
Though he’s not a turkey hunter by choice, McGriff nabbed quite the gobbler Monday morning.
McGriff, a software engineer from Waukesha, was driving alone on Interstate 94 a few miles east of Eau Claire when a wild turkey flew out from nearby trees and smashed through the windshield, passed between the two front-seat headrests and landed in the backseat.
The male bird shattered the passenger side of the windshield, broke the interior dome light and shed feathers throughout the car and on McGriff’s clothing.
“It’s a rental car, so fortunately it’s not my car,†he said.
McGriff said the bird didn’t make noise or flop around after clobbering the car.
“I didn’t feel a thing except for the glass flying,†said McGriff, 28, who was uninjured.
Not knowing what else to do, he drove a few more miles with the dead bird in back.
“I was pretty much shaken up so maybe I missed an (earlier) exit that I could have taken,†he said.
After a few strange looks from passing drivers, he left the interstate at Highway 93 and stopped at the Speedway Superamerica gas station, 2806 Golf Road.
“He didn’t seem that nervous until I told him he was lucky it didn’t kill him,†Speedway employee Dave Markow said.
As gas station patrons lingered by the car and looked at the bird, they asked if McGriff had plans to get the bird mounted.
“I guess I made a pretty good kill,†he said. “I got to take a feather or two for a souvenir.â€
McGriff had rented the Oldsmobile Alero for the past few weeks from Avis.
He had extended coverage, so Avis will pick up the repair bill, said Sarah Fulkerson, station manager at Avis’ Eau Claire office. She provided McGriff with a replacement car.
“I don’t know what to do with that,†said Fulkerson, holding a big plastic bag and staring at the bird. “That’s insane. That’s gross too.â€
Fulkerson said people occasionally hit deer with rental cars, but “turkeys are a new one,†she said.
McGriff, who was traveling for business, said he’d been making the same 250-mile trip from Waukesha to Menomonie for several weeks.
“Never hit (a turkey) fore. Never even saw one,†he said. “I’m going to have to get hazard pay or something.â€
4/1/2003 2:10:51 PM
Bird brained
I-94 driver fowls out as turkey crashes into windshield.
Leader-Telegram Staff
_
In a split second, Ben McGriff saw the big, dark flash headed right for his car.
“Before I even had time to react -- boom!†he said.
Though he’s not a turkey hunter by choice, McGriff nabbed quite the gobbler Monday morning.
McGriff, a software engineer from Waukesha, was driving alone on Interstate 94 a few miles east of Eau Claire when a wild turkey flew out from nearby trees and smashed through the windshield, passed between the two front-seat headrests and landed in the backseat.
The male bird shattered the passenger side of the windshield, broke the interior dome light and shed feathers throughout the car and on McGriff’s clothing.
“It’s a rental car, so fortunately it’s not my car,†he said.
McGriff said the bird didn’t make noise or flop around after clobbering the car.
“I didn’t feel a thing except for the glass flying,†said McGriff, 28, who was uninjured.
Not knowing what else to do, he drove a few more miles with the dead bird in back.
“I was pretty much shaken up so maybe I missed an (earlier) exit that I could have taken,†he said.
After a few strange looks from passing drivers, he left the interstate at Highway 93 and stopped at the Speedway Superamerica gas station, 2806 Golf Road.
“He didn’t seem that nervous until I told him he was lucky it didn’t kill him,†Speedway employee Dave Markow said.
As gas station patrons lingered by the car and looked at the bird, they asked if McGriff had plans to get the bird mounted.
“I guess I made a pretty good kill,†he said. “I got to take a feather or two for a souvenir.â€
McGriff had rented the Oldsmobile Alero for the past few weeks from Avis.
He had extended coverage, so Avis will pick up the repair bill, said Sarah Fulkerson, station manager at Avis’ Eau Claire office. She provided McGriff with a replacement car.
“I don’t know what to do with that,†said Fulkerson, holding a big plastic bag and staring at the bird. “That’s insane. That’s gross too.â€
Fulkerson said people occasionally hit deer with rental cars, but “turkeys are a new one,†she said.
McGriff, who was traveling for business, said he’d been making the same 250-mile trip from Waukesha to Menomonie for several weeks.
“Never hit (a turkey) fore. Never even saw one,†he said. “I’m going to have to get hazard pay or something.â€
