A family driving back to O’Hare International Airport in their rental vehicle from South Bend this morning struck a large wild turkey that was flying across U.S. 20 near Wilhelm Road, about five-miles east of Michigan City. The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office reports the tom turkey broke through the glass and became lodged in the center of the windshield. The family, who received only minor cuts from the glass and who refused treatment at the scene, had just finished a trip to Notre Dame where their daughter had been recently accepted.

Sheriff’s Captain Michael Kellems told the Region News Team they have seen a few incidents like this in the past but nothing this dramatic, as wild turkeys are typically very shy and stay away from populated areas. Captain Kellems says during mating season though, just like deer, they will tend to forget where they are and what they are doing. He says this turkey was one-of-four that flew across the roadway and may very well have been distracted because of their mating ritual.