30-pound turkey impales family's windshield in LaPorte County

Police do not expect fowl play in the death of a 30-pound turkey that was struck by a rental car in LaPorte County on Tuesday morning.

Officers with the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office were called to an area of U.S. 20 about 25 miles west of South Bend around 9:30 a.m. CDT after a family hit and killed a turkey in flight, Capt. Michael Kellems said.

Kellems said four turkeys were flying north-to-south across the roadway when one was struck by a westbound GMC sport utility vehicle.   No people were seriously injured, but police say the impact killed the bird.

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Kellems said it's wild turkey mating season, which explains why Hoosiers may notice more of the birds out and about. It's common to see a deer-versus-car accident, especially during deer mating season, he said, but it's not every day that a wild turkey gets hit by a car.

"I’ve been a policeman for 31 years and I’ve never seen something like that," Kellems said.

The driver, John Tarabocchia, of Emerson, N.J., said he and his family were visiting his daughter, a high school senior who was staying at Notre Dame as part of a program for accepted students. They were driving to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago to meet the student bus and then fly home when the crash happened.

“I thought he was gonna clear the roof, but he didn’t," Tarabocchia said. "He went straight through the windshield.”

He said his first concern was getting everyone over to the side of the road safely. Once pulled over, he told everyone to get out of the SUV and away from the turkey, which he said was still bobbing its head inside the vehicle.

"I guess he was trying to get himself in or out," Tarabocchia said.

Kellems said Tarabocchia and the other three passengers were checked by a medic at the scene for minor cuts, but no one was seriously injured.

“They are very fortunate not to have been hurt, if you see how far that turkey impaled into that interior compartment," he said.

Kellems said the driver of a passing vehicle stopped and asked to take the bird home with him, which he did.

Phil Bloom, director of communications for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, said anyone at the scene of a crash like this who sees value in either the animal's meat or fur could request a roadkill permit from law enforcement.

The permit applies to deer, squirrels, rabbits and river otters, as well as wild turkeys, quail and pheasants — animals covered by wildlife hunting regulations, he said.

“It’s an opportunity for someone to make use of the animal," Bloom said.

Leaving the scene of the crash with the animal, but no permit, would be considered an illegal taking, Bloom said, and that person could be subject to illegal possession of a wild animal.

Kellems said anyone involved in a deer- or turkey-versus-car accident should pull over to the side of the road, call police and wait until an officer arrives to make a report.

As for his family, Tarabocchia said they'll skip turkey for Thanksgiving this year.

Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.