King Mark Armour was on his way to work as a train conductor in Waukegan, Illinois, when he accidentally crossed paths with Vern, one incredibly lucky coyote. Vern somehow got wedged in the front bumper of Armour’s Buick Verano.
“I accidentally hit this coyote on the way to work,” Armour posted to Facebook on Sept. 24. “Not knowing he was there, I continued to drive to work, and discovered him upon arrival.”
He called local animal control, which in turn called on the non-profit group in nearby Barrington, Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation.
“Once the driver realized the coyote was in the vehicle’s grill, he felt terrible and contacted Waukegan Animal Control for help who removed the coyote and brought him to us for care,” the group posted on Facebook.
Flint Creek soon offered an update.
Vern also ate that night and was much more alert the next day.
“Vern is continuing to do well,” Flint Creek would offer by way of another updated. “He is eating well and he is resting those three broken legs! We are managing his pain and keeping him comfortable during his stay with us. Provided all goes according to plan, Vern will be released following his rehabilitation.”
Armour, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is thrilled with the recovery and urged people to cough up some cash for the organization.
“I will be putting the shoulder to my coworkers, to raise some funding to donate to Vern’s recovery. Thank you so much for taking care of him,” he wrote.
The vet bill, naturally, is massive. Those who want to donate to Vern’s extensive recovery can do so online or by mail to 117 S. Cook St. #145, Barrington, IL 60010.
Vern will likely be released into a refuge next spring.
And, as unusual as this rescue sounds, it’s not the first time. As news of the Waukegan wildlife miracle spread, Lynn Archer shared a similar tale from California via Idaho.
“You wont believe this but our wildlife group in CA a few years ago had this exact same thing happen,” she posted to Flint Creek’s page. “A driver on HWY 80 in Idaho struck a coyote doing about 80 mph. After driving all night home to northern CA he discovered the coyote stuck in the bumper. The coyote was removed from the car grill and only suffered some minor scratches. Amazing you had another with the same story.”
h/t Yahoo! Photos Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation/Facebook
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