Hitchcock Would Be Proud

Blackbird singing "you'll be dead tonight..."

Man goes biking. Bird goes striking. Man falls down, breaks his crown, and police go fumbling after.

Wait, what?

Ganked article

Fatal Bicyling Accident Blamed on Aggressive Blackbird
via MyFox Chicago
Created: Friday, 11 Jul 2008, 4:26 PM CDT

An aggressive blackbird bird is being blamed for an unusual bicycle accident that led to the death of a 60-year-old man on a north suburban trail last week.

Lawrence Holtzman, 60, of 1727 McCraren Rd., Highland Park, was pronounced dead at 11:51 a.m. on July 2 at Evanston Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiners’ office. A July 3 autopsy determined he died of craniocerebral injuries from a bicycle accident.

According to a Highland Park police spokesman, Holtzman was riding a bicycle on a trail behind 3040 Skokie Valley Rd. with his wife and daughter about 10:15 a.m. on June 19 when the crash occurred.

A red-winged blackbird "flew down in an aggressive posture" -- possibly protecting a nearby nest -- and Holtzman "took evasive action," either by swerving the bike or swinging his arm, according to the spokesman.

He said Holtzman then fell off the bike and struck his head, leg and arm on the ground. The "very strange" accident involved only the one bike, the spokesman said.

Holtzman fell unconscious and died at the hospital about two weeks later. No one else was hurt.

Highland Park police are investigating.