After the Dover man struck a red fox that had dashed in front of his sports utility vehicle last week, he allegedly retrieved the seemingly dead animal from the roadway with plans to cut off its tail for a souvenir, a state wildlife official told Gannett Tennessee.

But he said Fox's plans went awry when the animal regained consciousness in the back seat and attacked, causing Fox to lose control of the vehicle and flip it over into a ditch.

Records indicated Fox was treated for minor injuries at the scene by Montgomery County, Tenn., paramedics. The fox was found dead in the vehicle, but Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency wildlife officer Dale Grandstaff said it wasn't clear if it had died from the initial collision or from the rollover.

Gannett Tennessee said it was not known if Fox got to keep the fox tail.