Deer falls from sky and crashes through windshield of minivan in Illinois

BARRINGTON, Ill., May 27 (UPI) -- A mother and her four kids are alright after a deer "fell from the sky" and crashed through the windshield of their minivan while they were driving 70 mph on Interstate 90 in Illinois.

Heidi Conner was behind the wheel when the full-sized female deer slammed into her vehicle's windshield after an apparent fall off the Illinois 72 overpass onto I-90 near Barrington.

"I'm driving, everything was fine. Boom, and I have a deer lying next to me in my car," Conner told CBS Chicago. "I believe God was with me the whole time — he protected me, he preserved me for a reason."

After the accident, Conner was still able to drive through three lanes of traffic to get to her van safely to the side of the road.

"If it had been one inch to the left, it would have been dead center. I wouldn't have been able to control the car. And one inch to the right, it would have killed my son," Conner said.

The van was totaled in the accident, although the Conners only suffered minor injuries.

"Never in my career have I seen anything like this," said Illinois Police State Trooper Justin Novarro.