A woman hit a coyote with her car, impaling it into the grille and seriously injuring it, and drove to her home in Lake County without noticing the coyote was lodged in her car Sunday morning.
Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation, a non-profit based in Barrington, said the coyote was hit at approximately 5 a.m. Sunday.
He was alert but has signs of internal injuries.
He also sustained significant injuries to his right rear paw after being dragged in the grille of a car.
A woman driving hit the coyote, drove home with it in the grille of her car and went inside her house, according to Flint Creek Wildlife.
A Lake County sheriff’s deputy knocked on the driver’s house door at 7:30 a.m. after her neighbors reported a live coyote stuck was stuck in her car grille.
Lake County Animal Control responded, removed the coyote from the car’s grille and brought it to Flint Creek Wildlife for care.
“A big shout out to Lake County Animal Control, Lake County Sheriff and the neighbors who reported the poor coyote stuck in the car grille,” the organization said.
Flint Creek Wildlife said they had a similar situation years ago with a coyote who was struck by a car and also lodged in the grille.
The man drove to work with the coyote in the grille of his car without noticing he hit it.
When he arrived at work, his coworkers told him that there was a fox, which turned out to be a coyote, in the grille of his car.
Waukegan Animal Control extricated him and brought him to Flint Creek Wildlife for care.
The coyote, nicknamed Vern, had sustained three broken legs and underwent extensive rehabilitation but made a full recovery.
“Please always stop when you hit an animal or if you think you might have hit anything!” Flint Creek Wildlife said.