Got hit last night...

blktoptrvl · #1 06-13-2012, 09:50 AM

... by an Owl?

While driving the highway at 55. In a construction zone I was pinned in a tight lane by jersey barriers on the left and right.

From about 25 feet out I saw this huge shape swooping down directly in front of the driver seat.

It hit with a hell of a thump.

Fortunately, it hit the upper left corner of the WS where it meets the frame (a very strong section). Scared the hell out of me!

Got home and there is a spot that looks like bird droppings in the hit spot, but that is all.

First time I was ever hit by such a big bird. I will try to see if my camera caught the owl.

PersonaNonGrata · #2 06-14-2012, 01:28 AM

Wow! I hit a pigeon once and it was feathers everywhere.

LeMansX5 · #3 06-14-2012, 03:47 AM

Lucky it did not hit the center of WS.

blktoptrvl · #4 06-14-2012, 07:43 PM

Nothing in the video - the camera points out the right top of the WS. I was hit in the left top. In fact, all you see and hear is a quick jog to the right and then back to the left and a "sh*t!"

motordavid · #5 06-14-2012, 08:05 PM

Holy fookin moly!
Owl, night hawk, et al...only a few possibilities in the dark. And, bats are too small to have that effect.
Glad you are ok; cars are fixable.
GL, mD

PS: Phils are my fave NL team, but they look like a mediocre Class A team this year, imo.

blktoptrvl · #6 07-02-2012, 02:17 PM

It was exciting...

As for the Phils, yea, this is a lost year.

ard · #7 07-05-2012, 10:02 PM

Speaking of exciting...

Many, many years ago...driving a VW bug on the PA turnpike, about 1AM... constuction zone, one side of the 4 lane road was closed so all traffic was sharing two lanes for bi-directional traffic/ One lane each direction, with only plastic post/cones between the lanes, but a hard center divider on my right side

BIG trucks whipping by, buffeting the car as they passed..when all of a sudden the hood of the beetle gets blown up and opens!!!- Im doing 60- the hood instantly slams into the windshield, shattering the glass (later I will find that the hinges sliced through the metal cowling as the hood came up.)

Instantly I slam on the brakes.

WRONG. The spare snow tire sitting in the trunk is ejected to the roadway.... but at this point I am not doing 40... AND I RUN OVER IT. The tire catches somewhere towards the rear and the back of the car is propelled upwards.... meanwhlile I am trying to stay in the lane, trucks coming past, and looking out the side window to see where I am supposed to drive. The car goes up, then down..stays straight,,,bottoms out the suspension...

Anyway, get it under control, pull off when I can after the construction zone. Cars a mess. Look for the tire and a toolbox for the next 45 minutes. Dodging trucks on the road too. Lash the hood down and keep going.

It was one of the 'could easily have not made it' moments in my life.

A

PS Hadn't thought of that in many, many years. The construction zone thing reminded me.

blktoptrvl · #8 07-30-2012, 05:59 PM

Speaking of exciting...

Many, many years ago...I was following a VW bug on the Schuylkill Expressway where the bug driver was signaling to get off at City avenue. The exit lane had a notorious "bump" in the road where the bridge surface met the road - it was subsiding.

Anyway, the bug hit the bump and the right rear tire shot out from under the wheel well - launched into the air about 40 feet or so and then hopped across all the opposite lanes of traffic without hitting anything.

The funny part was that the bug kept going - balancing on three wheels for another hundred yards or so. It was not until the driver moved left to exit the road that the car unballanced and the rear settled to the ground dragging until the car stopped.

I pulled in behind it and got out to lend a hand as the driver stared at the open space where his wheel used to be. He could not believe it was gone.

-------

Another night, my wires and distributor in my Pinto got wet in a horrendous downpour and I had to get to a phone to call my friends to pick me up. I had stopped at the top of one side of a hill and after about a half hour or so after I got back from the phone, I saw my buds come over the hill and drive on down into the valley between us.

The valley unfortunately was impassible because there was about 40 feet of flooded road and no way to get around it. (Funny, this was on Conshohocken State road – not far from where the bug lost it’s tire years before (or after I don’t remember.))

I watched as my friends turned around and headed back up the road and over the hill on their side. I figured I would be stuck in the wet cold for another 20 minutes or so while they found their way around the flood.

About two minutes later, I saw the bug come roaring over the hill again and gain speed as it came down the hill. I thought to myself that this would have a bad outcome as a few 4x4 trucks had tried to cross, but were not able to due to the depth of the floodwaters. But my friends were coming hard anyway.

They hit the waters with a huge splash and then proceeded to bob left and right across the water until they got to my side and gas it again when the wheels hit the ground once more. The climbed the hill stopped and said “get in.” I was amazed as they turned around speed up again and floated across to the other side again as we headed on home.

I have always been in awe of bugs since that time.

amacman · #9 07-31-2012, 12:03 AM

The floating bug story reminded me of an old tv ad
how long does a vw beetle float? Just watch! - YouTube

A friend rebuilt many old beetles . I learned to do wheelies in them , like lifting the front end in the air for a few yards , but it requires low fuel and spare removed to lighten the front end .

Biggest animal I ever hit was a ram which leaped from a ditch into my path whilst I was riding 2 up on a motorcycle , I reacted quick to avoid but caught the right horn of the ram on the left footrest of the bike , I did lift my foot prior to impact .
Gear linkage and footrest and ram horn all destroyed . Myself and pillion OK . ram OK but a bit dazed .