Woman has lucky escape after swan smashes through bathroom window

‘I have been an RSPCA inspector for 40 years and have never seen this,’ says charity official

A swan which flew through a window in Barton-in-Fabis, Nottinghamshire (RSPCA)

It looks like a visit from Air Force Swan.

An elderly woman narrowly avoided serious injury when a massive bird crashed through her double-glazed window seconds after she had been standing in front of it.

The swan sent shards of glass exploding across the bathroom after smashing into a chalet building in the Nottinghamshire village of Barton-in-Fabis.

RSPCA inspectors called to the scene said they had never known of such a bird flying through a closed window before.

Keith Ellis, from the charity, said: “The lady was so lucky when this happened as she had just been in the bathroom.

"Had she still been there when this swan crashed through the window I am sure the glass shattering and the impact of the bird hitting her would have caused serious injury, or even worse.

“I think the swan was looking and flying to the nearby River Trent and must have misjudged the direction. It was also quite windy at the time which may have blown her off course.”

He added: “I have been an RSPCA inspector for 40 years and have never seen a swan crash through a window.

“I have seen them crash-land onto busy roads thinking they are rivers – but nothing like this – it is so bizarre."

The dazed and bloodied animal was taken to a vet where she spent over one hour in surgery before being transferred to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire, where she will continue to be treated for her wounds.