Imagine cruising down a Florida highway, enjoying the drive, when suddenly BAM—something smashes through your windshield and hits you square in the head. You’d probably think it was a rock or maybe some debris kicked up by another car. But as you sit there, dazed, bleeding from your forehead, the truth begins to sink in: the object that just injured you wasn’t a rock or a branch—it was a turtle. Yes, a turtle. Straight out of Mario Kart and right into your front seat.
This strange accident happened on April 21, 2021, when a 71-year-old woman was riding in the passenger seat while her daughter drove along I-95 near Port Orange, Florida. Without warning, a turtle crashed through their car’s windshield, striking the woman directly in the head.
In the chaos that followed, the daughter immediately pulled over and called 911, unsure of what had just happened. While talking to the 911 dispatcher, she noted just how much her mother was bleeding. “She’s got so much blood coming out of her head,” the daughter explained as she frantically tried to help (CNN).
As they waited for paramedics to arrive, a passerby stopped to assist and made a surprising discovery. Looking inside the car, he found the cause of the chaos: “There is a turtle in there,” he said, astonished by the situation. The daughter, just as shocked, responded, “A turtle! An actual turtle?” It wasn’t debris or a random object—it was a live animal, flung through the windshield like something out of a cartoon.
Despite the wild nature of the accident, the 71-year-old woman’s injuries weren’t life-threatening. She was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center for treatment and, fortunately, remained conscious throughout the ordeal (People). Her daughter, while dealing with the aftermath, summed up the bizarre situation perfectly, telling the 911 operator, “I swear to God this lady has the worst luck of anything.” It was a shell-shocking situation, to say the least.
And what about the turtle? A slow-and-steady reptile turned into a fast-and-furious projectile in the blink of an eye. Despite its unexpected flight, the reptile was largely unscathed, suffering only a few scratches on its shell. Local authorities, including Port Orange police officers, helped release the turtle back into the nearby woods after the incident (NBC). The turtle was fine—though we can only assume it learned to stay out of the fast lane.
Authorities believe the turtle was likely trying to cross this highway to shell when another car clipped it, sending it flying through the air like (People). The timing couldn’t have been worse, and the turtle ended up in one of the weirdest wrecks even Florida has seen. Believe it or not, this wasn’t the first time it happened either—another Florida driver posted on Facebook back in 2016 after a similar airborne turtle smashed through their windshield. No word yet on whether or not these two trouble-makers yelled “Cowabunga!” as they flipped headlong through the air.
The odds of getting hit by a flying turtle on the highway? Almost zero. But leave it to Florida to make the impossible happen. Thankfully, the woman walked away with just a head injury, and the turtle with a few scratches. Next time you’re driving in the Sunshine State, keep your eyes on the road—and maybe your peripheral vision on the sky—because you never know what might come hurtling your way.
