A hunter in Maryland was struck by a Canada goose that had been shot down by a member of his group. (iStock)
A hunter in Easton, Md., was knocked unconscious by a goose that that had been shot out of the sky by a member of his hunting party, WBAL reports.
Robert Meilhammer, 51, was out with three other hunters shortly before 5 p.m. on Thursday when they noticed a flock of Canada geese overhead. The group fired at the flock from a blind, striking one of the geese and sending it plummeting directly into Meilhammer.
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“One of the members of the hunting party shot and killed the goose,” Maryland Natural Resources Police spokeswoman Candy Thomson confirmed, according to The Baltimore Sun. “It is unclear which one it was.”
The fowl knocked Meilhammer unconscious, causing injuries to his face and head, and reportedly knocking out two of his teeth. Thompson also told WBAL that when he finally came to, he “didn’t know too much besides his name.”
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Emergency responders soon transferred Meilhammer to a hospital, where he was then airlifted to the Maryland Shock Trauma center.
“It’s a really unusual, freaky accident,” said Thompson, who estimated that the bird who hit Meilhammer was the size of a “small turkey” one might cook at Thanksgiving.
"He's lucky," she added. “Those birds weigh a lot, and falling back down to earth, they’re going to pick up a lot of speed. It’s gonna leave a mark.”
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Mailhammer’s condition was unknown as of Friday morning.