Low-flying owl causes frightening car crash in Australia

The damage to a van after an owl flew into the open driver's window, causing the motorist to swerve and crash. Photo / Supplied

An owl has flown from the scene after swooping into an Australian driver's open window, colliding with the head of the motorist and causing a car crash in the Lake Macquarie district on Saturday night.

The delivery driver was travelling west on John St at Belmont North when the low-flying owl struck the 21-year-old in the head about 10.30pm.

The sudden impact caused the Birmingham Gardens man to swerve and smash into a parked car.

The driver of the van jumped out of the vehicle where passers-by had already gathered and snapped photographs of the owl perched on the dashboard.

The owl which caused a car crash in North Belmont perched on the dashboard of the van it flew into, before flying away. Photo / Lake Macquarie Police

"Thankfully there was photographic evidence otherwise we never would have believed the story," officers said in a quirky statement on the Lake Macquarie Police District Facebook page.

The man was uninjured.