Motorist has run-in with a coyote

Many viewers have called to tell us their own stories about run-ins with coyotes in sprawling south Tulsa. <br><br>In a News on 6 story Monday, pet owners told us their dogs had been attacked and killed

Tuesday, April 6th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Many viewers have called to tell us their own stories about run-ins with coyotes in sprawling south Tulsa.

In a News on 6 story Monday, pet owners told us their dogs had been attacked and killed by the coyotes. Tuesday, News on 6 reporter Patrina Adger talks to a man who had a run in with a coyote in Broken Arrow. Paul Wameling: "Harley Davidson F-150 Super Crew with 14,000 miles on it." Adger: "Now, it's totaled!" Paul: â€œYes it is!â€

Paul Wameling's Harley Davidson truck was totaled after a run-in with a coyote in Broken Arrow around 2 in the morning last week. Paul was headed down 101st Street when he says a coyote came out of no where. He swerved to avoid hitting the animal, but he hit it anyway.

The coyote went one way and Paul drove his truck down a ditch into a tree. He says everything happened so quickly, but he's certain the animal he hit was a coyote. "When I got out of the car the coyote was in the field making a 'howling-at-the moon' type of hellacious sounds that made it pretty clear." Paul was just a mile from his house, so he left his truck in the ditch because he couldn't find his cell phone to call for help.

The next day, his insurance company came out to survey the truck and discovered it was towed and to make matters worse, Paul received three tickets from the Broken Arrow Police for abandoning his vehicle, not reporting the accident and not having insurance in the truck.

His insurance company did an investigation and found animal hair and blood on the truck indicating that he indeed hit an animal which caused the accident and therefore shouldn't be held responsible for the accident or paying the tickets. Paul says he's lucky the accident didn't cost him his life, but it has cost him a lot of stress and money.

He says he wasn't aware of a coyote problem before and hopes to never have another run-in like this one again. "Be aware there is a coyote problem out in the Tulsa/ Broken Arrow area."