Turtle crashes through windshield of car traveling on I-95

LAKE MARY, Fla. - A woman made a frantic 911 call on Wednesday morning to report that a turtle had crashed through her vehicle's windshield as she drove down Interstate 95.

"Something just came through the windshield and hit my mom in the head!" the caller said.

The 911 dispatcher surprised to find out what it was.

"There's a turtle in there!" the caller stated. "A turtle?" the dispatcher asked.  "A turtle! An actual turtle," the caller replied.

The wild scene unfolded Wednesday morning near Port Orange, Florida. The driver's mother suffered a bad gash but is going to be okay.

Strangely, this isn't the first time a turtle has become a torpedo in Volusia County. A similar incident happened to a woman in 2016.

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"The car ahead of me to the left hit a turtle crossing the road which propelled it back through my windshield, hit the seat, and back onto the dashboard," explained Nicole Bjanes.

Pictures show the turtle in that 2016 incident was wedged between the windshield and the dashboard.

"When I stopped, I looked over and there was an animal in my dashboard. The legs were moving and I was kind of freaked out at that point," Bjanes added.

Unlike the turtle from Wednesday's incident, first responders were actually able to rescue the turtle from the previous incident and set it free in a nearby lake.

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A spokesperson with the Florida Highway Patrol tells us that if this ever happens to you, try to keep your calm.

"Try not to panic! It's easier said than done because it's surprising when it happens" said Lt. Kim Montes, "and then go from there and call 911."

Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.