Elk nearly hit my family's car (with video)

[Schadenfroh]

A couple of members of my family visited me this weekend, so we decided to head over to The Smoky Mountain National Park for the day.

I had heard that they introduced a small number of Elk there, never saw them... until this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM_D8wSU_Mk

I had my window cracked (I was riding shotgun) and we heard this loud sound, so we slowed down and I luckily had my camera nearby and started filming. I had no idea one was so close to us to my right when I was filming the ones further down the road.

Keep in mind, this was taken from a Lincoln Town Car, so it is not a small vehicle (point of reference).

 

[DesiPower]

haha awesome!! :thumbsup:

 

[Chaotic42]

The steak dinner that almost was...

 

[Perknose]

Wow. Elk are much bigger than Shriners.

 

[Pardus]

a cop hit a elk last year, it will destroy your car.

 

[Farang]

a cop hit a elk last year, it will destroy your car.

I don't know if that's blood you can see on the airbag, but this was fatal. The driver, a sheriff's deputy near Mt. Rainier, was killed.

 

[El Guaraguao]

whoa

 

[Schadenfroh]

a cop hit a elk last year, it will destroy your car.

Damn! Glad we were going slow, my heart goes out to the person that was in that vehicle... I think I see blood.

 

[Kyteland]

a cop hit a elk last year, it will destroy your car.

Yeah, you have to watch out for elk (and moose) not because they are big but because they are tall. A car can handle hitting something that size as long as it hits the crumple zones in front of the car. The problem with elk is they are so tall you just take out the legs and all that weight comes through the windshield.

 

[marvdmartian]

Yeah, you don't get a feel for how big an elk, or even a white tailed deer, is, until they're right up on top of you! I was driving into work, about 8 or 9 months ago, and had deer crossing the road, right in front of me, as I came over top of a rise. Luckily, I slowed down pretty drastically (without losing it....thank you, anti-lock brakes!), and missed them all......but they looked HUGE to me, while I was sitting in the car!!

 

[chusteczka]

What a fantastic shot! Thank you for sharing. There are many videos of them standing in one place but yours shows a very large and strong bull elk running close by. An animal of that size and strength is great to see and you caught it in action. Watching it run across the field in just a few seconds is incredible.

 

[OutHouse]

come to Estes Park colorado, what you saw is a everyday occurrence.

 

[BoomerD]

When we lived in Wyoming, collisions with deer and elk was something considered to be an annual occurrence for many people. As already pointed out, many of these animals are tall, so when you hit them, they end up coming through the windshield...and into your lap.

 

[FuzzyDunlop]

When we lived in Wyoming, collisions with deer and elk was something considered to be an annual occurrence for many people. As already pointed out, many of these animals are tall, so when you hit them, they end up coming through the windshield...and into your lap.

often they will even just roll over your vehicle, killing everyone inside by squishing them, then pretty much land nearly on their feet able to walk away. its amazing the damage an elk can do to a minivan.