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](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/WGB23WPUQDKZH5IGMZHQ5NW5P4.jpg?auth=fb3f6b93711dce9da22bb4a8a683747e80831adaa228d23d8acc4bd86c4409fd&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)