PICS: Cork woman escapes uninjured after swan smashes into windscreen
A Cork woman had a dramatic encounter with a swan on the Cork-Limerick road yesterday, in what has quickly been dubbed ‘Swan Brake’.
Mary Murphy told the Irish Examiner that she’s just happy that her “family wasn’t coming to see me in the hospital as a wreck, or picking out a coffin for me” after the gruesome accident.
Mary, who is from Knocknaheeny, was driving from Mallow to Cork at midday yesterday when, out of nowhere, a low-flying swan collided with her car, sending the bird straight through her windscreen.
"I am still shaking over what happened. There was no warning at all. The swan just hit the windscreen. It was like a bomb going off,” Mary told Red FM this morning.
"Thankfully, I didn't brake hard because if I had I definitely would have been hit from behind by other cars on the road."
While Mary was miraculously unhurt, the swan was killed instantly - the force of the impact dented the roof of her Suzuki SX4 and knocked her rear-view mirror off.
Mary somehow managed to keep her cool and navigated safely from the fast lane on the motorway onto the hard shoulder, with the swan still wedged in her windscreen.
After pulling over, Mary was helped by passing motorist, Alan Burke, and Gardai were on the scene within minutes.
"The man who towed the car away for repairs said he has been in the business for years and it was the first time he had ever heard of a swan hitting a car," Mary said.
It was the grandmother's first ever car accident and she said she's just happy she's alive.
"It was terrifying and I was in shock. Having had some time to think about it, I feel sorry for the poor old swan now, to be honest with you,” she told the Irish Examiner.
“But I’m just glad to be alive to tell the tale and that I was able to go and see my grandkids afterwards.”
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