Bird “Explodes” Against Roller Coaster Rider’s Face

A 12-year-old boy is lucky to have his sight after a freak accident on a New Jersey roller coaster Thursday evening. Shane Matus was riding in the front seat of the 456-foot-tall Kingda Ka, the world's tallest coaster when he was struck in the face by what was believed to be a pigeon.

"I was like, "'What the...did somebody throw a ball or something?'" Matus recalled. "They say the bird exploded," he said, commenting, "It hurt a lot for like three seconds. People behind us had feathers and blood all over them." The Six Flags ride, capable of a 128 mile-per-hour top speed, was shut for 30 minutes after the incident.

Matus says he's just glad he was distracted by a blaring car alarm, which made him turn his head moments before impact, otherwise, the bird would have hit him right in the eyes.