Turkeys Trigger Crash In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Turkeys trigger a crash near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after a flock of them caused a motorcyclist to turn over. Goerie reports that a flock of six turkeys in Mount Lebanon caused a motorcyclist to lose control of his bike and fall over. The 19-year-old hit the back of a car, but was still conscious. He had to be hospitalized for leg and upper body injuries.
It all began when a car stopped suddenly to allow the turkeys to cross the road. The motorcycle coming up from behind tried stopping, but lost control.
No other details are provided in this story right now, but the motorcyclist reportedly didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries.
In a similar story out of Windham, Connecticut in 2012, two cars were involved in a crash triggered by turkeys. The incident happened on Interstate 91 in October 2012, Vermont Today reports.
A large flock of wild turkeys were crossing the road when one of the drivers — Diane McIntryre — slowed down to let them finish crossing. The driver of the car behind her — Elizabeth Libby — got distracted. One of the turkeys flew across her vehicle at eye-level and Libbey rear-ended McIntyre’s car.
Libbey’s car wound up off the road while mcIntyre’s vehicle spun onto a shoulder lane. The Westminster Fire Department had to extricate McIntyre from her vehicle because her car door was jammed.
McIntyre and Libbey’s passenger, William MacLeisch, were transported to Springfield Hospital after sustaining minor injuries.
Turkeys and other animals can trigger a crash while crossing a road. Most people want to avoid hitting them and either slow down or stop for them. A lot of times drivers behind them aren’t expecting another car in front of them to be stopped — especially if there aren’t any turns or traffic signals around.
The Patriot News reported about a family from Maine narrowly escaping injury in January when their car collided with a herd of deer attempting to cross Interstate 81 in Cumberland County. The driver was heading north on I-81 in Penn Township with three family members in the car. He saw four deer making their way across the highway, but struck two of the four deer. The driver kept the car under control, but it was inoperable after the accident.
As the Inquisitr also reported, animals themselves crash into vehicles — or planes. For instance, a flock of birds hit two planes flying out of JFK Airport. Flying birds hitting airplanes is heard about in the news. Unlike cars, plane can’t easily miss a few birds smacking into a large commercial plane.
Birds like turkeys that trigger crashes are completely unaware of their surroundings in most cases, making them an easy target if drivers aren’t on their toes.
[Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images]
