Holy mackerel, I got hit by a deer mowing my lawn!!

[Soundguy]

Yep.. plenty of flat possum around my area too..

soundguy

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have to tell this story. One of my coworkers swears this is what happened. He was driving down the street in the city when a dog ran into the side of his car while running away from some other dogs. It knocked the front fender into the drivers door. IT looks like the dogs head must have hit the back of the fender wall because it left a small dent and now the door binds when trying to open. I couldnt believe a dog running into the side of the car would move the whole fender.
Another funnier story happened many years ago to the brother of my brother-in-law. He had a 65 Ford Falcon (new at the time) and hit a small bantam chicken that flew across the road in front of him. The chicken somehow hit the hood release which cause the hood to raise completely which then busted the windshield and ripped the hinges from the hood. The chicken then proceeded to push the radiator into the fan completely destroying the radiator and the fan. The car needed a new windshield, hood and hinges, grill, radiator and fan to fix the damage from a 1 pound chicken.

 

[AlanB]

Not sure where you are at Gary, but it may have been my dog.

I called my dog one day, and some lady was coming down our narrow residential street (speeding I might add)

Dog was running at full chat and came between two parked cars into the side of her minivan and collapsed the side of it.................

She was worried about the dog, I figured I was about to get sued, even though I was franticly waving for her to stop as she passed me.

Oh, I do need to add it was a 190' Great Dane.

 

[JRobyn]

We were on a family trip one time, in dad's big '62 Dodge company car. Going down a long straight piece of highway into a valley. Right at the bottom of the grade was a medium-sized rabbit, right in the middle of the lane, just sitting still. Dad assumed that it would hear the car, freak out, and run off the road, so he never even swerved. It apparently was so freaked out that it completely froze until milliseconds before impact, and then jumped straight up. Dead-centered and completely caved in the grille of the car and mangled the hood release mechanism. Luckily didn't hole the radiator. Amazing how much damage a fairly small critter can do at 60mph!

- Jay

 

[KansasJim]

I've seen suicidal rabbits quite a few times. I suppose that's why they make lots of them.

Turkey buzzards: we had two vans in convoy, first van breaks up the turkey vulture buffet...the buzzards circle (fly) around just in time for the second van to hit one of them. Destroyed the grill and broke a headlight. But - here's a 'buddy' for you: the buzzard that got hit hadn't even stopped spinning when his 'friends' picked him up, carted him off the road, and started working on HIM.

Seems to me I've had a couple of days like that...

 

[tallyho8]

I've been in a vehicle more than a couple of times when we tried to straddle an armadillo in the middle of the road. It seems they have slower reflexes than most animals and don't realize what is happening until you are halfway over them, then they jump straight up and always hit the drive shaft. It makes a "bong" noise loud enough to make you think he destroyed your truck but usually everything is OK, except for maybe the armadillo.

 

[Defective]

Wow...

I've only gone over one armadillo in my entire life & thought I found a weird one.

You mean they ALL do that???

 

[Rara Avis]

Wow...

I've only gone over one armadillo in my entire life & thought I found a weird one.

You mean they ALL do that???

Yes, It is a survival instinct that saved their lives before the advent of the automobile...Now their instinct kills them...

 

[Soundguy]

Yep.. every one I've ever straddled jumped and hit the underside of the truck.. go figure..

soundguy

 

[tallyho8]

They also jump like this when you catch one. When you catch one by grabbing it by the tail, you have to make sure to keep your arm extended so it doesn't jump up and hit you in the chin. That hurts, I know!