WINSTON-SALEM, NC (WFMY) - One Winston-Salem police officer's knack for serving citizens and animals in the community really spread its wings with a recent gesture.
Officer Jenny Britter says she's helped several animals to safety over the years, like cats, dogs and even a goat in the middle of I-40.
You can add a hawk to that list after Monday.
"I was sitting in the station parking lot and a couple came up to me saying 'a bird hit our car,'" said Britter, a 17-year veteran with Winston-Salem Police. "I went over and it wasn't even moving. It was sitting up, but obviously injured."
It was a pretty strong collision as the car's windshield was bowed in and cracked. Britter made some calls and eventually asked her vet for advice.
"This was definitely a first," Britter said.
Britter got a friend to bring her a crate and blanket before she took it to Animal Ark in Clemmons. They say the hawk should be okay other than a bruised head and left shoulder.
"This guy was very lucky," said Dr. Mitch Spindel with Animal Ark. "He didn't break anything. He'll go to Wildlife Rehab here in Winston-Salem for a few days and it's very likely he'll recover."
In January, Trooper Landon Mendenhall with the NC Highway Patrol helped an injured owl he found in the median of I-40 in Kernersville. Earlier this month, he was released at Country Park in Greensboro.
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