A morning commute near the Great Smoky Mountains took a bizarre and terrifying turn this week when a North Carolina motorist was targeted from the sky. In a one-in-a-million freak accident, the driver escaped uninjured after a bald eagle dropped a cat carcass directly onto her moving vehicle.
Death from Above on Route 74
The unidentified woman was driving along U.S. Route 74 in Swain County, near Bryson City, when the incident occurred on Wednesday morning.
Without warning, a heavy object smashed into the passenger side of her front windshield, shattering the glass. It wasn’t a rock or debris from a truck—it was a feline.
According to the driver, a bald eagle flying overhead had either lost its grip on its breakfast or discarded the prey, sending the dead cat plummeting onto the highway traffic below.
“I’ve Heard Crazier”
The audio from the 911 call captures the sheer disbelief of the situation.
“You may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield,” the incredulous driver told the dispatcher. “It absolutely shattered my windshield.”
Expecting skepticism, the driver was likely relieved when the dispatcher didn’t miss a beat.
“OK. I do believe you, honestly,” the dispatcher replied, laughing nervously at the absurdity of the report.
The driver noted that another motorist had witnessed the aerial bombardment. “He’s like, ‘That is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.’ I’m like, ‘Really?’”
The dispatcher tried to comfort the shaken driver, saying, “Oh my goodness. Let’s see. I’ve heard crazier.”
The Aftermath
Before sending the Highway Patrol to file a report, the dispatcher had one final, grim question to ask: “Is the cat still alive?”
The driver confirmed the cat was deceased and lying on the side of the road, not inside the vehicle.
While the car suffered significant damage, the driver walked away physically unharmed—though likely with a newfound fear of birds flying overhead.
