Lucky Coyote

Meet the wiliest of all coyotes: Hit by a car at 75 mph, embedded in the fender, rode for 600 miles — and SURVIVED!

When a brother and sister struck a coyote at 75 mph they assumed they had killed the animal and drove on.

They didn't realize this was the toughest creature ever to survive a hit-and-run.

Eight hours, two fuel stops, and 600 miles later they found the wild animal embedded in their front fender - and very much alive.

Snopes said it's true, so it's an ironclad fact.

"[Daniel] saw fur and the body inside the grill," Tevyn East said. "I was trying to keep some distance. Our assumption was it was part of the coyote — it didn't register it was the whole animal."

Daniel East got a broom to try and pry the remains out of the bumper and got the shock of his life.

"It flinched," Tevyn East said. "It was a huge surprise — he got a little freaked out."

Tevyn and Daniel huddled with Jeffrey Adams, who got on the telephone with volunteers from Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release.

Volunteer Jan Crowell arrived with a kennel and equipment to help corral the coyote, including a catch pole with a loop, and the delicate operation to rescue the coyote got under way.

Crowell was able to get the catch pole loop around its neck and used that to guide the animal into the dog carrier. She then took the coyote home, where she rehabilitates wild mammals, for observation.

"I was just amazed," Crowell said. "Quite frankly, I figured it would have broken bones."

When the 45-pound canine calmed down, the only injuries it appeared to have sustained were a scratch on one leg and a scrape on the pad of one paw, she said.