MORGAN COUNTY, Utah — A driver narrowly escaped major injury Sunday night in Morgan County after a moose came crashing through the windshield, shattering the glass.
Kirstin Christensen was driving her vehicle home from a birthday party in Mountain Green for her nephew when she encountered the animal.
"A moose jumped out in front of me, I had no time to stop," she told FOX 13 News. "I was going about 45 miles per hour and hit it head-on."
Mountain Green Fire Protection District explained Christensen's car hit the moose on Old Highway and the animal shattered the windshield.
After hitting the initial vehicle, the moose bounced off and hit another car traveling in the opposite direction, officials shared.
Photos from Nathan Manwaring, a relative of Christensen, show the destroyed windshield where the moose went through, with the damage centered on the driver's side of the car.
"The moose from what I can tell from the vehicle, had come into my windshield, went up and over my vehicle and then there was another car in the opposite direction that also hit it as well," Christensen explained.
Despite a demolished windshield, Christensen said her only injury was a cut hand.
"I had a split second where I grabbed the steering wheel with my right hand to brace myself," she recalled. "I put my hand up...because I did see the moose cross right in front of me."
Christensen said her smart watch alerted authorities to the crash and responders were shocked to find her minimal injuries.
"They were shocked that I didn't have a concussion, I didn't have any broken bones," she said. "My hand was bleeding at the time but besides this minor injury, they were shocked I could recall details, I didn't have anything."
"Almost a ton of moose could have caused very serious injuries," officials said in a social media post, calling the minor injuries a fortunate outcome of the crash.
Sadly, the moose involved in the crash died as a result.
As Christensen recovers, she said she felt watched over and was grateful the incident didn't claim her life.
"Definitely have angels and everything watching over me," she said. "I have a lot of blessings I'm grateful for."
