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Turtle flies through windshield on I-4

Posted at 10:39 AM, May 13, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-13 18:55:22-04

A woman driving along I-4 near Orlando got a big surprise this week when a turtle came flying through her windshield.

Nicole Bjanes says a car in front of hers hit a turtle attempting to cross the busy interstate.

"It propelled it through my windshield, hit the passenger seat and then went back on to the dashboard," she told ABC Action News. "I was kind of hysterical."
 
Bjanes suffered a cut on her forehead from when the rear view mirror broke off.
 
Believe it or not, Bjanes and the FHP said the turtle survived and seemed uninjured by the traumatic experience of not only getting run over, but then flying through glass.
 
"The fact that nobody was sitting in the passenger seat, I'm grateful for that as well," she said.
 
Paramedics checked out the driver and even the turtle, who they say appeared to be OK as he scurried away on his own.
 
Turtle experts say it's a good sign, but he could have been in shock.
 
"They're tough animals but they're not indestructible," said Kimberly Titterington with Swamp Girl Adventures in Kissimmee who frequently helps rehabilitate turtles.
 
"The shell's purpose is to help keep the internal organs safe but only to a limit. A heavy impact can cause internal injuries," she said.