Driving down a Florida highway last week, Lori Hall-Allen suddenly heard a deafening crash as something shattered through her windshield. For a moment, she thought the worst.
“I thought somebody shot at us, so it was very scary at first,” Hall-Allen recalled. “But when I opened my eyes …”
She couldn’t believe what she saw.
Sitting on the dashboard was a yellow-bellied slider turtle, who appeared just as stunned as she was.
Moments earlier, the turtle had been crossing the road when a vehicle ahead clipped him with a tire. The impact launched him straight into Hall-Allen’s car — and through the glass at high speed.
Incredibly, the little traveler survived without a scratch. After the crash, he cautiously peeked his head out of his shell, as if confused about how he’d ended up in such a strange place.
Wildlife rehabilitator Linda Christian rushed to the scene, fully expecting the worst. Instead, she was floored.
“The turtle was perfectly fine. No damage at all to his shell,” Christian told The Dodo. “I was absolutely astonished.”
Christian brought him back to her facility for observation, gave him antibiotics just in case, and waited to be sure. Days later, it was as if nothing had ever happened.
When he was cleared for release, Christian carried him to a nearby lake. The resilient turtle didn’t hesitate — he paddled off, eager to continue the journey that had been so abruptly interrupted.
Christian has worked with countless injured animals, but this rescue will always stand out.
“Never, ever in all my years in rehab have I encountered anything of that caliber,” she said. “It’s that unusual.”
