The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Lorry driver tells of shock after being struck by pheasant as he drove along busy road.
Vince Conway was struck in the face by large bird after it flew in through window
“There were feathers everywhere and I was struggling to see out of my windscreen. VINCE CONWAY
A lorry driver had a lucky escape after being struck in the face by a pheasant while driving along a busy road.
Vince Conway, 59, from Linlathen in Dundee, was driving his HGV along the Tayport to St Michaels road in Fife when the incident happened.
He was hit on the side of the face after the bird came in through the open driver-side window.
Mr Conway said it flew out of the trees into the cab of his lorry before wrapping itself around his neck.
The cabin filled with feathers as he tried to regain control of the vehicle.
Mr Conway – who believes the pheasant had ricocheted off the lorry’s wing mirror before coming into the vehicle – said he was near the rear of Drumoig golf course when the incident took place.
He said: “It’s still hard to believe what actually happened. I’d been checking my wing mirrors and I noticed a pheasant coming out of the trees.
“I heard a bang while I was driving. “The pheasant wrapped itself around my neck and was flapping about.
“I was travelling at about 40mph – thankfully it’s quite a long, straight road and it was clear in both directions.”
The bird – which was about a foot tall – dropped into the footwell of the cabin after it struck Mr Conway.
He said: “I’ve been driving HGVS for more than 30 years and nothing like this has ever happened before.
“I wasn’t injured but my heart was racing.
“There were feathers everywhere and I was struggling to see out of my windscreen.
“When I saw the pheasant out of the corner of my eye, I never thought it would come through the window.
“I pulled into a nearby layby and it was lying in the footwell of the cab.
“When I looked down, I could tell straight away it was dead.”
Mr Conway said the incident was like a scene out of the Alfred Hitchcock horror film, The Birds.
He added: “I’m extremely lucky that there were no other vehicles on the road.
“I’ll be needing a few drinks to recover from the experience.
“I’ve been taking a wee bit of stick from my mates about it.”