Buzzards Take Out a Chevy Tahoe on U.S. 87

 

A 2001 gold Chevrolet Tahoe was traveling southbound on U.S. 87 approaching the rest area located north of Water Valley at 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.

At approximately one mile north of the rest area, there were several large buzzards on the roadway in the path of the Tahoe on the road.

Approaching the birds, the buzzards took to flight and flew directly towards the Tahoe. The Tahoe Driver steered to the left to avoid them. The driver over-corrected, causing the Tahoe roll over coming to rest in the center median on its top facing south.

Scott David Collard, 29, was driving. In the passenger seat was Payton Bishop, 9. In the back seat was Bradley Bishop, 36 and Christy Gilbert, 30. All were from San Angelo and no one was injured.

Investigating the crash was DPS Trooper Hope Hohertz from the Sterling City station.

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Comments

jdgt, Wed, 06/04/2014 - 17:42
1, the photo above is NOT a buzzard... 2, why the hell was the 9 yr old in the front/passenger seat? The SAFEST place for all children is in the back seat (unless it is occupied by children who are younger.)
No trying to be rude but that is nowhere near what a buzzard looks like! That is a HAWK! And also you are supposed to honk your horn before you get near the buzzards so you can scare them away and you never swerve to miss a bird or any other animal for the fact of that happening! Common sense or the guy didnt grow up driving in the country! ALSO, why is the kid in the front seat! COMMON SENSE people
Well, according to many sources, a common buzzard is actually classified under the hawk and eagle family. The term buzzard can mean "vulture", which is what most of us are picturing. Unless I've misread my sources, the picture is actually correct. For more interesting facts on the common buzzard... http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Common_Buzzard
I'm guessing the caption "buzzard like this one" is inaccurate, as that photo of a Eurasian or British Buzzard probably does not represent the birds which caused the accident in Texas. I could be wrong, but this is a fairly silly discussion anyway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buteo
Reading Joe Blows facts are usually more entertaining than the article. Thanks Joe
jdgt, Thu, 06/05/2014 - 08:23
Pretty sure the bird pictured above is not what was crowding the roadway that caused the accident. I've yet to see a whole flock of hawks in the middle of the road. One of those black vultures perhaps... They're notorious for aiming their ugly heads straight for a car!
Heck yeah, this discussion is silly! Actually, most of the discussions on this site are silly. Generally, there's at least one or two flamers, a couple of folks who are related to one side or the other and at least one person who just joined the conversation from left field and offers a new recipe. Alas...that's the nature of social media. Thanks JT! Oh, and here's a great recipe for Buzzard Claws and Swamp Dip: YIELD Makes 8 servings INGREDIENTS Nonstick cooking spray 8 chicken drumsticks, frozen for 30 minutes 1 egg, beaten 1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1‑1/2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 32 slivered almonds for garnish Swamp Dip (recipe) PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking oil. Crumple aluminum foil into a log shape that fits lengthwise into baking sheet. Remove drumsticks from freezer (they should be partially frozen, not hard). Prepare chicken by Frenching the bone. Beat egg and milk together in a bowl. Stir paprika, red pepper, chili powder, salt, black pepper, bread crumbs and cheese together in 9-inch pie plate. Dip chicken into egg mixture and bread chicken in bread crumb mixture, patting to coat evenly. Place chicken on baking sheet with spatula; prop bone sections up on aluminum foil log. Pull slices apart slightly to form a claw shape. Chill 30 minutes to set crumb coating. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until chicken is 180°F. Lift chicken claws to a platter with spatula. Serve with Swamp Dip.
shaderunner, Thu, 06/05/2014 - 11:24
Suddenly the Standard Times doesn't seem quite so ridiculous. Pretty sure reading this cost me IQ points.
Shade Runner, I would argue that you probably even lost the first half of second grade gym class reading this - welcome to the club. The best part is that you'll be back....just like the rest of us. The Sub-Standard Times is not much better. I've lost many IQ points reading their material as well. It's all good.... I'm not as think as I dumb I am!
live, Thu, 06/05/2014 - 12:13

In my pursuit to find an astonishing picture of a buzzard to match the gravity of the story, and confined to using only Open Commons licensed images, my search for "buzzard -falcon -eagle" returned this image on the super secret San Angelo LIVE! image retrival system. It also returned several images of owls. I am not sure why. I blame it on the Internet.

Now, usually the responsible thing to do is to replace the image with a buzzard. However, there are three pitfalls in doing so.

1. The last time commenters demanded a new picture, it was of a man camp. Chelsea had used an image of an overcrowded RV park way up north somewhere with lush greenery. So, after reviewing the dissatisfaction of our wonderful readers, I embarked on a man camp picture-fetching expedition. I returned with several pictures, one of which was of an actual RV dealership. The RV dealership did not appreciate being associated with man camps and drama ensued. If I go on a buzzard pic retrieval expedition, drama is sure to follow me. It always does.

2. There are no appropriate buzzard pics I can find online that are properly licensed. If I do find one, it will never satisfy our awesome, though picky readers.

3. The picture is providing excellent entertainment and educational value.

As Joe Blow notes, the pictured bird comes from the same species: birds.

Thanks for your support,

'The Management

...just lost the second half of second grade gym class! Thanks Joe! For what it's worth, I appreciate all your efforts. I realize you and your staff are only human. Dang those interwebs...
I'm gonna go take a picture of a buzzard (surely I can find one) and license it freely to Live!
I bet the next time Mr. Collard sees a bird of ANY kind he will honk, slow down, and if all else fails, hits the bird! But then if he needs a replacement for a 2001 Chevy this a really bad way to get one. And I don't think the insurance, if he had full coverage on it, would pay very much. Still hope all who were in the vehicle are ok. One question.....what was a 9 yr old doing in the front seat?
the hawk pic is awesome... i just thought it was a picture of a hawk flying high above observing the wreckage, looking down at the hungry buzzards, glad that he/she does not have to eat roadkill for breakfast and at the same time dodge vehicles with not so smart drivers at the wheel...
Arbigi, Thu, 06/05/2014 - 19:47
I've got Flickr's advanced search page bookmarked - it skips past all the crud, and you can filter by various levels of CCL. Wired magazine online, among many others, uses this feature frequently. https://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/ In flight https://www.flickr.com/photos/lonetown/510281102 CCL-BY Group with roadkill (a little bit gruesome) https://www.flickr.com/photos/larry1732/8886067854 CCL-BY Sort of Adams Family https://www.flickr.com/photos/trostle/2438111417 CCL-BY Up close and personal https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcbanksphotos/6687385311 CCL-BY Cool shot on a fence https://www.flickr.com/photos/85056813@N00/5100203204 CCL-BY
Glad no one was hurt. I can't help but think of the old cartoon where two buzzards were sitting around waiting on raod kill when one opf them said, "Forget this! I'm gonna go kill something!"

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