Car Collides With Donkeys Near Mannford

WARNING: Some of the pictures in this story might be unsettling for some.

Four donkeys died just before sunrise after being hit by a car in west Tulsa County. Troopers said the donkeys were standing on Coyote Trail, west of Sand Springs.

Fortunately, the woman driving and her 14-year-old son were not hurt.

Neighbors said donkeys are often wandering county roads out that way, and this time they were hit more than a quarter mile away from where they belong.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office said it's had several calls about the loose donkeys - the most recent came on Monday.

For the locals, 265th West Avenue is just the end of Coyote Trail.

Wayne Goodman said it's a quiet pocket of west Tulsa County where the biggest concerns come from speeding drivers and donkeys that roam free.

“I've seen as many as five to six and they come down the highway, yard to yard. I don't even know how they do that, but they do it,” he said.

Neighbors said the donkeys are supposed to live in a pen along a gravel road on 27th Place.

Deputies said they've been to the area several times to ask the owner to corral the loose livestock; but on Tuesday morning, at least five donkeys were out of their fence again, standing in the middle of Coyote Trail.

There are no street lights and the sun hadn't come up; the driver said it was still too dark to see, and by the time she realized what was ahead it was too late.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper, Whit Cochran said, “She didn't see the donkeys in the roadway, came around the curve and struck them.”

The driver and her 14-year-old son were not hurt, just shaken up.

OHP said speed was not a factor.

“This lady was very fortunate. It was a small car and these are big animals. They could have come through the window and seriously injured her and she is very lucky this morning,” Cochran said.

One of the donkeys ended up on top of the car. It busted the glass on the sunroof but didn’t break through.

“It was a strange sight. Walked up to find a dead donkey on top of a car, that is an unusual call for us,” said Cochran.

Two other donkeys died instantly, and a third with a broken back and was put down - all because troopers said the animals weren't fenced in properly.

But then there was the lone survivor; with nerves still rattled, he was led by a deputy back to the property he came from, where he joined several other donkeys that appeared to be locked up.

Deputies said the owner of the animals was not home but could be liable for the damage caused.

They said they'll be keeping a close eye on the area and the animals that are still on the property.