SALEM -- A flying goose shattered the windshield of a Salem patrol car as the officer was driving through town.

Salem Police/kgw.com photo

This is what the officer's windshield looked like after the collision with the goose.

Officer Jeff Keniston said he was driving westbound on State Street, near Kettle Ct. responding to assist another officer when his car was struck by a flying object.

He quickly pulled over to see what had caused the damage and found an injured Canada Goose.

But the goose was still alive.

It was taken to an emergency veterinary clinic and later transferred to a wildlife rehabilitation facility south of Salem. Police say the goose recovered and was released back into the wild.

Authorities said the stretch of State Street where the accident happened is highly populated with geese and other water foul. “While we seldom get reports of collisions of this sort, motorists are urged to drive with caution through this area,” said Lt. Dan Deitz, with the Salem Police Department.

The officer in the patrol car was not injured.

A Canada goose in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie wasn't so lucky. The bird flew into a power pole Saturday, knocking out power to a sewage treatment plant. Backup power failed to kick in, causing more than 90,000 gallons of raw sewage to spill into the Willamette River.

The bird died at the scene.