Running afowl of the law

In the news today birds seem to be flipping the human to drivers. Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland relayed the story of a particularly oblivious wild turkey that damaged a delivery truck on the Maine Turnpike in Sabattus Thursday. Trooper Tim Marks said the truck driver, Raymond Crabtree of Standish, escaped injury, but was showered with glass. Crabtree said he saw the bird only as it hit the windshield and there was no sign of it after the crash.There have been numerous reports of turkeys striking vehicles in recent weeks, McCausland said. The reason for this temporary loss of sanity, as you might expect, is love. Turkeys get more restless as the weather warms up and turkey's mating season begins. A couple of weeks ago a Hartford man was knocked off his motorcycle by one of the birds as he rode along Route 117 in Buckfield, McCausland said. Jeffrey Russell is now recovering at home from his injuries. Whatever fever the birds are feeling it is apparently contagious, even to other species. A New York news station is reporting a turkey vulture injured a passenger when it crashed through a minivan's windshield on Interstate 80 Friday. The turkey hit a woman in the face, leaving her with minor cuts. The van was towed, ironically enough, by Eagle Towing. The moral of the story: Look out for turkeys, and other animals, people and vehicles, on the drive home this evening. So far it looks like smooth sailing with no accidents or construction on the radar. --CRAIG CROSBY, filling in for the vacationing Meghan Malloy.