# Freak Accident: Elk Falls Off Cliff Onto Car **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288 "2008-05-31T18:57:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/1 "2008-05-31T18:57:41Z")
Here is an email I got from my older brother today: "My granddaughter’s Phoenix softball team is playing in a tournament this weekend in Payson, AZ. This morning around 8 AM, the families of several players were caravanning to the ballpark from nearby Kohls Ranch when a horrible freak accident occurred. In the caravan, a Phoenix couple were driving with their daughter and two other young players in the backseat of their car when a 1200-pound elk fell from a cliff alongside Hwy 260 landing on the hood of the car, totally destroying the vehicle. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the accident. Following immediately behind was a second car driven by the parents of one of the three girls just ahead in the accident vehicle. That couple witnessed the entire freak accident unfold knowing their daughter was inside the destroyed car ahead. Making matters all the more tragic for everyone, the huge animal took several agonizing minutes to die from the crash as parents and children looked on in disbelief. My daughter said the families and players involved appear in a state of shock." I called my brother after I got the email and he told me the little girls were still in shock, and the car that it landed on (a 2 year old BMW) was totaled. A few seconds later and it would have landed on the roof of the car - probably killing those in the car. Can you imagine the face on the insurance adjuster when they call him to come look at the car and then they describe how it happened? ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/2 "2008-05-31T19:07:31Z")
It’s good that everyone is safe! Did anyone get pictures? ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/3 "2008-05-31T19:21:29Z")
I hope the Kids in the lead car played that day. It might help put the shock a little bit out of mind. Other than that, my bet is that the insurance company will use a sanitized version of the event in a TV commercial - provided the kids’ psyches prove undamaged. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/4 "2008-05-31T19:54:49Z")
I could see something like that in a Geico commercial. Glad the kids are OK. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/5 "2008-05-31T20:02:59Z")
We were in Wales a few years ago and were supposed to meet a stonecutter who was making some slate name plates for us. He was about 45 minutes late. He apologized for being late and said that a dog had chased several sheep off a cliff and they landed on his shack, destroying it. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/6 "2008-05-31T20:56:05Z")
Was the softball team sponsored by the Elks club? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/7 "2008-05-31T21:24:46Z")
I hope those deer kids can buck up and the insurance company coughs up the doe. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/8 "2008-06-01T00:13:52Z")
Sounds like the kind of story Snopes would run. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/9 "2008-06-01T00:54:18Z")
I just got word I will have pictures by Monday and will come back here and give you a link. Check back for photos. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/10 "2008-06-01T01:26:28Z")
Elk were responsible for 2 seperate fatal accidents last weekend in Eastern Nevada. My brother hit one on his bike and some other guy swerved to miss one and rolled his truck. My guess is this is an attention-grabbing ploy against Deer. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/11 "2008-06-01T01:40:28Z")
Good grief, wasn’t there a report of a moose attempting to fly [earlier this year](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=455479), too? And last year’s [falling](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003996996_webcow06m.html) [cow](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=443118)… Why are these ruminants trying to fly? What do they know we don’t? ---
**Author:** ![MadPansy64](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MadPansy64](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPansy64)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/12 "2008-06-01T01:59:56Z")
Wow! That totally trumps my “Drunk Whitetail Falling Off Porch” story! I’m glad the kids are (physically) okay. How is your brother doing? ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/13 "2008-06-01T02:13:35Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Elk were responsible for 2 seperate fatal accidents last weekend in Eastern Nevada. My brother hit one on his bike and some other guy swerved to miss one and rolled his truck. My guess is this is an attention-grabbing ploy against Deer. [/QUOTE] Please tell me I am reading this wrong. Fatal? Your brother? If I am _not_ reading it wrong, I am so sorry for your loss. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/14 "2008-06-01T05:45:42Z")
[QUOTE=LifeOnWry] Please tell me I am reading this wrong. Fatal? Your brother? If I am _not_ reading it wrong, I am so sorry for your loss. [/QUOTE] No. He’s dead. So is the Elk and its unborn “little elk”. Just for the record, this is the second time he hit a pregnant critter. The first time it was a deer, with severely disgusting results. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/15 "2008-06-02T07:12:58Z")
Here is a picture of the car: [http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/DMark\_bucket/elk2.jpg](http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/DMark_bucket/elk2.jpg) And here is a picture of the elk on the side of the road: [![](https://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/DMark_bucket/elk4.jpg) ](https://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/DMark_bucket/elk4.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/16 "2008-06-02T09:02:33Z")
OK, probably because it’s not quite 5am here and I haven’t had enough coffee yet…but I read this as an **elf** falling off a cliff onto a car. No shit. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/17 "2008-06-02T09:15:12Z")
Some days, you’re the car, other days, you’re the elk falling off the cliff onto the car. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/18 "2008-06-02T10:34:05Z")
[QUOTE=DMark] Here is a picture of the car: [http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/DMark\_bucket/elk2.jpg](http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd137/DMark_bucket/elk2.jpg) [/QUOTE] Wow. That’s actually an elk-shaped dent! ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/19 "2008-06-02T11:25:43Z")
Impressive dent. I can imagine that there was some damage to the engine as well as to the hood, but “totally destroying the vehicle”? ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288/20 "2008-06-02T17:15:14Z")
[QUOTE=Martha Medea] Impressive dent. I can imagine that there was some damage to the engine as well as to the hood, but “totally destroying the vehicle”? [/QUOTE] From the picture, my guess is that the engine is going to be a bit hard to start…and once costs to repair exceed the value of the car - it is considered totaled. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freak-accident-elk-falls-off-cliff-onto-car/451288.md?page=2)