Author Topic: My first critter KIA (Read 1988 times)

eagl · « **Reply #45 on:** July 03, 2007, 09:19:46 PM »

A friend's wife hit an armadillo at 1am halfway between two small towns in TX. She wasn't about to stop so she kept driving until the engine quit. Which was about 10 minutes. Apparently armadillos will leap up when they think they're under attack and this one cleared the bumper and hit the soft grille, went through to the radiator, and pushed the radiator into the water pump which then poked a hole in the block. Teh suxors.

I nailed a skunk a couple months ago. Pretty sure he's dead but I didn't go back to find out. Even after a car wash with an underbody spray the car stunk until the next time it rained, and then I took the long way to and from work finding deep puddles to drive through as fast as possible. It worked... No more skunk perfume smell. But dang it smelled bad for a week.

My brother drove past about 30 doves splashing in a puddle near a road, and as he approached they all took off and flew right across the road at about 3 ft up. He hit at least 6 and counted 4 bodies in the road. He didn't stop either since doves were not in season at the time.

Captain Virgil Hilts · « **Reply #46 on:** July 03, 2007, 09:56:59 PM »

I've got an old Chevy 1 ton, Dad bought it new. I've been hot rodding on the thing for years. Eventually it had an LT-1 350 Z-28 engine I hopped up in it. Dad had this thing for bumpers, and built a front bumper out of 1/4" wall 4" steel tubing, with 1/8" wall 2" tubing for a grille guard. I was on call for emergency repairs one night, but being around 21 years old, I decided to slip off and see my girlfriend, well out of my zone. It was about 1:00 AM when the pager went off, and it went off twice before I heard it. So after a 5 minute good bye kiss, I jump in my hot rod 1 ton truck, I take off down a highway I know well, just plain hauling ass, about 100-120 MPH. Just as I topped a little "whoop de doo", there was a huge Holstien cow. I hit the cow without having a chance to hit the brakes. I hit my forehead on the head liner, and both my thighs on the steering wheel. I bet the cow flew 20 feet. It didn't put a mark on the truck. Stunned the Hell out of me. I got out, looked the truck over, saw it was okay, the cow was dead in the ditch, and I needed to get gone.

No one claimed the cow, since they'd have been responsible for any damage done by their livestock in the road. But several people wondered openly what the Hell hit a cow and knocked it off the road and then drove away.

I was sure sore for three days. It was several weeks before any one put 2 and 2 together, another farmer I know and worked for said "you know, you've got about the only thing that could hit a cow like that and drive off".

culero · « **Reply #47 on:** July 03, 2007, 10:01:14 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by eagl
snip
But dang it smelled bad for a week.

LOL eagl

I've BTDT, and thought it was about as bad as it could get. But I found out what's worse - I was riding in a friend's car when he ran over the bloated carcass of a medium-to-large dog.

My god, that was awful. and we had 150 miles to go to get home. The stench was so thick I ended up stuffing my nostrils with menthol cigarette filters and hanging my head out the window. I mean, we found strips of hide hanging off the rear bumper when we arrived home. He spread the whole bottom of his whoopee car with paste of rotten dog. It was beyond anything I could ever have imagined before I experienced it.

I never let Russell, the bastard, forget that

Captain Virgil Hilts · « **Reply #48 on:** July 04, 2007, 12:19:21 AM »

There were a couple of drivers at work, I was one of them, who could, every so often, manage to hit a skunk just right and get him hung between the dual wheels. You have to catch a big enough skunk just right, they kind of pop in and there's not enough centrifugal force to make them pop out.

Out in Texas, I was rocking along a nice flat section that was windy. The guy in front of me had a little sway from the wind to begin with, and hit an armadillo just right. Here we are doing 75-80, and he hits the armadillo and just rolls onto his side, right in front of me, in slow motion.

I've seen armadillos get hit by big trucks and just roll up in a ball, unroll, and waddle off. We call them "possum on a 1/2 shell". Every so often, you see one here in Tennessee. Didn't use to though. I'm sure some clown thought it'd be cool to bring them in. Like the yo yo that brought us coyotes.

Waffle · « **Reply #49 on:** July 04, 2007, 02:42:54 AM »

Anyone ever take out a deer? I did... will post more later

evenhaim · « **Reply #50 on:** July 04, 2007, 03:49:06 AM »

lets just say this there is a family of squirrels tonight that will be in mourning

MORAY37 · « **Reply #51 on:** July 04, 2007, 04:37:38 AM »

Friend of mine, hit something, he thought it was a bird, at 60 miles per hour coming across Alligator Alley in Florida....in his truck...feathers go flying all over... not a big thump.. he figures, "hell it's dead, nothin I can do here..(no cell phone service on that side anyway), and keeps going the 30 miles or so to the end. So, he pulls over at the toll booth on the Miami side, to check the damage, walks up to the front grill... and there is the most pissed off hawk he could imagine, stuck in the grill. He calls FWC and they come out after half an hour or so, all the while this hawk screeching and clawing trying to get out of the grill of his truck. The pictures of it are funny as hell. Four FWC officers scratchin their heads, standing around this "Hell Hawk" trying to claw their eyes out from the grill of a F250.

(Hawk survived, and was rehab'd with a broken wing and a bruised ego...was released in March of 06, back to the everglades.)

MiloMorai · « **Reply #52 on:** July 04, 2007, 05:48:53 AM »

A friend hit a flock of ducks in his race boat. Blood and feathers covered the boat but no damage.

Clipped a skunk with the footpeg of the bike. Had to still travel 30mi with the stink. Took a week of washing and hard riding to get rid of the stench.

Halo · « **Reply #53 on:** July 04, 2007, 10:54:55 PM »

My daughter about 20 years ago saw a deer take out a guy on a motorcycle, hitting him in the side and wiping him out. As she remembers it, the guy died.

Years later, as I was driving to the airport early one morning on an expressway, a deer appeared in my lane just standing there. Big ditch on one side, traffic in the other lane. I braked best as I could, then remembered to take my foot off the brake just before impact to minimize the chance of the deer coming through the windshield.

Managed to slow just enough and swerve just a little so hit the deer mainly with passenger side headlight and bumper, launching the deer high and past the side of the road. Was in a nice big safe Olds 88 with low hood, but still had to replace headlight and fender and fix hood and bumper.

Was not a safe place to stop, so I phoned the sheriff's office and reported the accident. Fairly routine occurence in Northern Virginia.

McFarland · « **Reply #54 on:** July 04, 2007, 11:31:44 PM »

I don't get why yall report them to the police, what, are they going to rescucitate the deers? I don't hit animals meself, I find swerving and brakes work.

BlueJ1 · « **Reply #55 on:** July 05, 2007, 12:10:48 AM »

The critters are asking for it.

Tonight driving to buddy's house in middle of nowhere I found a young doe on the side of the road just looking at me. I slowed and it ran off into the woods. Leaving his house 30 minutes later the same deer was in the same spot in the road. I yelled some foul words at it for being so stupid. A couple of hours later after dark I was driving my buddy home. The street is marked at 45mph. I decided to play it safe for once and do 35. Came over top of a hill in the road and the same deer was in the same spot. If I had been doing 45 I would have hit her. I yelled again and honked the horn. She took off into the woods. Thank cod I was driving slower then normal.

Driving home on a highway a flock of sparrows flew in front of a large semi. One got caught in the draft and was sent right into my car. Caught it with the front left of the car. No damage. Just another KIA for critters.

Then driving down a major road that leads to my house a white cat ran across the street directly in front of me. I slowed and missed it. The car on my left didnt miss. Another KIA.

I feel like the Anti Dr. Doolittle.

Xargos · « **Reply #56 on:** July 05, 2007, 03:05:17 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by McFarland
I don't get why yall report them to the police, what, are they going to rescucitate the deers? I don't hit animals meself, I find swerving and brakes work.

For insurance.

McFarland · « **Reply #57 on:** July 05, 2007, 03:23:40 AM »

Wouldn't it be cheaper on your insurance to not report them? If the insurance finds out you're prone to hit an animal and might cause an accident in that area, rates will go up. Or so it seems to me.

Xargos · « **Reply #58 on:** July 05, 2007, 04:22:53 AM »

A deer can do several thousand dollars worth of damage.

MiloMorai · « **Reply #59 on:** July 05, 2007, 06:03:45 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by McFarland
I don't get why yall report them to the police, what, are they going to rescucitate the deers? I don't hit animals meself, I find swerving and brakes work.

Because the dead deer attracks other animals. These could cause another accident. Remove the dead deer and there is no free meal for these other animals.