{"id":456718,"date":"2026-02-04T00:12:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T00:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/456718\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T00:12:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T00:12:19","slug":"incredible-discovery-in-front-of-car-after-late-night-collision-on-aussie-road-quite-a-headache","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/456718\/","title":{"rendered":"Incredible discovery in front of car after late-night collision on Aussie road: ‘Quite a headache’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A koala is nursing a sore head this week after an unfortunate but miraculous midnight encounter with a Holden Commodore on the weekend. After wandering onto a rural road in Adelaide\u2019s southern hills region, the koala was struck with force by the car<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the driver stopped to assess the damage and, on closer inspection, found the marsupial in an unlikely and precarious position at the front of the car<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The koala was firmly wedged inside the front grille of the Commodore. Two local rescuers from the Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue<\/a> (SKER) responded to the driver\u2019s call for help and arrived at the scene at Kangarilla just before midnight on Saturday.<\/p>\n

They carefully worked to free the koala they named Axle from the car. He was checked by a vet on Sunday and miraculously escaped with just a scrape and a sore head.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

It’s not the first time a koala has been found stuck in the grille of a Holden Commodore. Source: Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd<\/p>\n

(Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd)<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s got quite a headache,\u201d SKER operations manager Mish Simpson told Yahoo News Australia on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll keep him for a week before releasing him. He\u2019s on pain relief but is recovering well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not the first time a koala has been stuck in a car grille<\/p>\n

Incredibly, it is not the first time SKER volunteers have found a koala in the grille of a car after a road collision.<\/p>\n

Mish recalled a similar incident seven years ago, also involving a Commodore.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lady hadn\u2019t actually stopped on that occasion, she knew she had hit something, but didn\u2019t know what,\u201d Mish recalled.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe drove about 20km from Willunga to Seaford at 100km\/h with a koala stuck in the grille of her car. He didn\u2019t have a happy outcome because he had a broken elbow we couldn\u2019t fix.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe didn\u2019t even realise. She stopped to get petrol and someone pointed it out. But, this incident is looking like it will be a much happier outcome.”<\/p>\n

\"Axle<\/p>\n

Axle is nursing a sore head but is recovering well this week. Source: Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd<\/p>\n

(Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd)Koala rescues reach record numbers for wildlife group<\/p>\n

SKER said the unusual incident provides another good reason to stop if you think you may have hit something. One phone call to the rescue group\u2019s 24-hour hotline made all the difference.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a busy week for the South Australian wildlife rescuers who received many calls for help after animals became unsettled by the heatwave to hit the state last week.<\/p>\n

Mish said when the heat backed off, the koalas were on the move and became victims of road collisions and dog attacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got inundated last Tuesday and had 19 koalas come through our clinic, which is a record day for us,” she said.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can also follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>