Birds Didn’t Budge From Road, Which Made Drivers Sitting Ducks

A pair of stubborn ducks sitting in the middle of Coast Highway triggered a multi-car collision Wednesday, sending three people to the hospital with minor injuries and leaving several others in a foul mood, police said.

The ducks, however, were unharmed.

“They caused the accident and then they fled the scene,” said Sgt. John Desmond.

The incident occurred about 2:50 p.m. when Teri Norwood, 22, of Newport Beach, who was traveling west on Coast Highway near Orange Avenue, stopped to avoid two ducks that had decided to sit in the middle of the road.

“She stopped her car and starting honking at the ducks to move, but it didn’t work,” Desmond said.

Soon there were two cars waiting on the ducks. Then Brian Dawson of Los Angeles, driving his 2-week-old 1994 Chevrolet Corvette, joined the line.

“Along comes a Southern California Edison truck, which rams into the back of the Corvette,” Desmond said. The Corvette was pushed into another lane, where it struck a Toyota sedan.

Dawson, his unidentified passenger and the unidentified driver of the Toyota were taken to Hoag Hospital with minor injuries.