Of all the things you’d expect to come at you when you’re driving down the highway, a flying turtle is last on the list.
John Gardner from Conway, South Carolina was driving to work on Highway 501 when he noticed a large “black dot” coming at him at full speed. He didn’t have time to react and, even if he had, he still wouldn’t have had enough space in traffic to make an evasive maneuver.
Gardner tells CBS affiliate WBTW that the rear wheel of a truck in front of him kicked the turtle off the ground, projecting it directly into his windshield. The damages caused to the car total $2,000 and, just in case you’re wondering, the turtle didn’t survive the impact.
“I was definitely surprised because I couldn’t even tell what it was at first… It’s just like a big, black dot coming. I couldn’t move at all, really,” he says. “I still don’t understand how it like, the exact angle of that tire, for it to just fling into my windshield.”
The man took the car to a local repair car shop and staff estimated the cost of the repairs to $2,000, as the windshield and the wipers will have to be replaced. They also took it upon themselves to bury the dead turtle.
Luckily, Gardner wasn’t hurt at all: he managed to pull over safely and call the police. The driver of the truck that sent the poor turtle flying also stopped the car and waited for the cops. As you can imagine, even the officers were surprised to see such a strange accident.
“I didn’t get hurt at all, I just remember when the cops showed up, he was like, ‘Hey, you’re covered in glass,’” Gardner recalls for the same media outlet. “And because I didn’t know, like, I didn’t know there was any in my hair and stuff like that, so I’m just like, ‘Oh, OK.’”
Gardner tells CBS affiliate WBTW that the rear wheel of a truck in front of him kicked the turtle off the ground, projecting it directly into his windshield. The damages caused to the car total $2,000 and, just in case you’re wondering, the turtle didn’t survive the impact.
“I was definitely surprised because I couldn’t even tell what it was at first… It’s just like a big, black dot coming. I couldn’t move at all, really,” he says. “I still don’t understand how it like, the exact angle of that tire, for it to just fling into my windshield.”
The man took the car to a local repair car shop and staff estimated the cost of the repairs to $2,000, as the windshield and the wipers will have to be replaced. They also took it upon themselves to bury the dead turtle.
Luckily, Gardner wasn’t hurt at all: he managed to pull over safely and call the police. The driver of the truck that sent the poor turtle flying also stopped the car and waited for the cops. As you can imagine, even the officers were surprised to see such a strange accident.
“I didn’t get hurt at all, I just remember when the cops showed up, he was like, ‘Hey, you’re covered in glass,’” Gardner recalls for the same media outlet. “And because I didn’t know, like, I didn’t know there was any in my hair and stuff like that, so I’m just like, ‘Oh, OK.’”