I saw a squirrel killed yesterday

[siouxi31]

I've seen plenty of roadkill in my life but I don't think I've ever seen a squirrels life taken right before my eyes. The poor thing darted out into the path of a mini van, made it past the first set of wheels that were going about 40 MPH and then hit the 2nd set of wheels stopping the squirrel in it's tracks. I was devastated.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I am sorry you witnessed that. I would be upset, too. However, I remind myself that this is nature's way of cleaning up the animal gene pool by eliminating the slow and stupid.

 

[eyeoreismyhero]

I run over about one a week. The little varmits overrun the place in my area and for some reason love to run out in front of cars.

 

[RadioFanatic]

I totally understand how you feel. the same thing happened to me - I saw someone run over a squirrel and couldn't stop crying for days. another time, I was driving down a road one night and thousands upon thousands of frogs were hopping across it - I had never seen anything like it - there was no way I could miss them and I was devestated for awhile after that.

 

[CheshireVal]

I've almost wrecked my car once while swerving to avoid a squirrel. I haven't hit one yet, thank God. I just can't handle things like that.

I did hit a cat once about 5 years ago. It ran in front of my car in the middle of the night (no houses around), there was nothing I could do. I cried about that for days. I *still* tear up when I think about it. It broke my heart. (I have two cats of my own!)

 

[dg39]

Several years ago, I was driving home with my dd who was around 7yrs. old at the time. It was 2 days before Easter. Yep, a cute little bunny ran into the street and I hit it. I was sick over the fact that my dd thought I killed the "Easter Bunny". It took alot of convincing that what she "really" saw was a large rat and not in-fact a bunny. Luckily, my older dd was in the car with us and also insisted that it was a "rat". My younger dd was soooo afraid that the Easter Bunny was dead and wasn't going to be able to leave her an Easter Basket. Sure enough, bright and early on Easter morning the Easter Bunny did leave her an X-large basket and extra goodies. So for the next few years she new that her mom didn't kill the Easter Bunny...

 

[Dan Murphy]

's siouxi31. You have a big heart. We always have corn logs in the yard for the squirrels, wonderful little ones.

 

[Marseeya]

Awwww! I have some really bad memories from things like that.

Once when I was really little, maybe 5 -- old enough to remember -- we were visiting some people we knew who lived on a farm and they had a bunch of baby rabbits. I chased one of them, even though everyone kept yelling at me not to, and I ended up squishing it. I was devastated, and still remember it.

 

[WonderfulDreamer2]

On a dimmer note, I had a nurse I work with, 28yo, killed because of a squirrel dashing out in front of her. She jerked the wheel to avoid hitting it, the tires went off the road and into a ditch, she was thrown out the drivers side window and her SUV landed on top of her. He passenger had a few scrapes but survived. Now that makes me sick.

 

[Blondy876]

I saw a group of baby ducks killed several years ago. The mother duck was trying to get them across the road and she made it but the babies must have become confused. I had stopped for them but oncoming traffic didn't see them and hit all of them. About 9 little ones. I cried for days and still get upset when i think about it.

 

[Chicago526]

I saw a goose killed once by a car (no fault of the driver), it is horible to see. But for many animals that have no natural preditors, it's the only thing that keeps the poplations down, in the long run it's good for the whole species.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I thought that you have corn dogs in your yard.


I hate to see dead animals in the road, even more if it's a pet. And seeing one hit (or hitting one) is very hard. I'm a softy and have a hard time with that sort of thing. Around here we have a lot of animals and it does happen. When I was a teenager my boyfriend hit and killed a dog (NO fault of his whatsoever) and I can still cry if I think of that and that was MANY years ago). Yep, I'm a crybaby.

 

[Joann]

I personally have never hit anything yet except mice and frogs when I am mowing the lawn and omg do I ever feel sick when I drive my mower over them have had a few deer run out infront of me but I manage to swirve to avoid them almost crashing us and my DH yells at me cause me swiving could get us killed but man I think if you hit a deer your in big troouble cause hitting them can kill you they are huge! My friend a few weeks ago was driving me and DD from the movies and I heard say no don't do it don't do it I looked up and saw a posum right when I saw it I felt bump bump and a squeal ! Omg I felt so bad and she started going on about it and my daughter knew we hit it and shes a big animal lover she got all upset and I had to try and tell her it was ok it was only a big ugly rat but for the rest of the night all I could hear in my head was the squeal

 

[Beth76]

When I was about 5 or 6, I was waiting outside the garage for my mom to pull out the car. When she pulled out I saw a stray cat under the car and it must've been caught on something and freaking out. All I can remember was it was like "scrambling" around under the car. I don't know how to describe it, it was so weird and freaky. I remember I had to go get the neighbor to help and he didn't look happy when I told him.

Then when I was like 16 or 17, I was mowing the lawn and I ran over a frog, but it was still alive. Of course my parents were out of town, so I had to go get a neighbor (different neighbor) for help and he didn't really know what to do either.

 

[SleepyMom]

Sorry you had to see that, it would be something I wouldn't forget for awhile as well.

I have hit a few animals over the years, and I always felt so bad afterwards even though there was nothing I could do to avoid it. The first time it happened was really weird, I was working at a banquet that night as a waitress and on my way to work when I hit a pheasant. The banquet was a Pheasants Forever event, I felt awful the entire night. Another time I hit a racoon, it was late at night and I didn't see it until I felt it under the car. We have also encountered the hundreds of frogs covering the road.

 

[Martha7]

to everyone who has had an upsetting experience with animals running under or appearing in front of our cars or lawnmowers (or feet!) Marseeya: an old boyfriend of mine had the same experience as yours!
I will never understand why squirrels feel the need to dash across the road when a car is coming. They make it across, and about a third of the time, try to dash back across again, coming dangerously close to being hit! I hate when birds try to dive bomb the car windshield as well. Some of these animal species are taunting us, I'm afraid!

 

[ckay87]

Man, just the other day I'm driving behind this guy who's going 10 MPH (not exaggerating - he was actually doing 10) through our neighborhood. I'm all for slowing down in our neighborhood...but 10???? I was losing my mind.

So a squirrel runs out in front of him and...HE HITS IT! I couldn't freaking believe it! What's the point in driving 10MPH but to avoid hitting things?? The dang squirrel was probably running faster than 10, but it wasn't his lucky day.

Idiot.

 

[Viking]

On a dimmer note, I had a nurse I work with, 28yo, killed because of a squirrel dashing out in front of her. She jerked the wheel to avoid hitting it, the tires went off the road and into a ditch, she was thrown out the drivers side window and her SUV landed on top of her. He passenger had a few scrapes but survived. Now that makes me sick.

Two very import rules I learned in driving school:
-Never try to swerve around a small animal.
-Always wear a seatbelt.
Sticking to one of those rules would have saved your co-worker.

So far I've never hit an animal. I had to do some emergency brakings to avoid hitting one.

 

[ntburns22]

Two very import rules I learned in driving school:
-Never try to swerve around a small animal.
-Always wear a seatbelt.
.

Our rule was let the fur fly.

On another note I hit a squirrel. I was 18 and so upset.

 

[KristaTX]

I'm sorry. The exact same thing happened right in front of me a few months ago. I was stopped at an intersection, saw a squirrel coming across the street up ahead, and knew that most likely he was about to be killed by a turning mini-van. I saw him get hit and watched him flop around in agony. I think that last part was what did me in. I cried in my car as I drove home. As silly as it may sound, it made me think for hours about how quickly any of us can be alive one moment and dead the next . I even thought about posting a thread just like this on the DIS at the time.