OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 70-year-old man from Oxford Township was killed Saturday when he hit a flying turkey while on his motorcycle, police said.
The incident happened around 12:45 p.m. Saturday on Stoney Creek Road, just west of Rochester Road in Oakland Township.
Authorities said the turkey flew across the road and hit the man so hard in the chest that he crashed into a guard rail. Officials said the turkey was blown to pieces.
"When it's your time, it's your time," said Pam White, who lives near the crash scene. "A turkey hitting a motorcycle? That's an act of God."
White said the problem with the situation is the speed on the road. It's not a turkey problem, it's a speeding problem, she said.
"People use this road as the Autobahn," White said. "People come down this road -- 50, 60, 70, 80 mph, and I don't know how fast this gentleman was going, but probably pretty fast, considering the turkey was decimated."
According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the impact sent the driver into the guard rail post, where he lost his left leg below the knee. Emergency crews stabilized him and got him to the hospital, but he died from his injuries.
"I feel so sad for this man's family," White said. "I can't even imagine the pain they must be going through. To have such a fluke accident and to lose a loved one due to something like this -- it's unimaginable."