We’ve all had those days where, due to some unfortunate series of events, we got caught out in the rain. Luckily, not many of us have had to deal with the kind of precipitation Cassie Bernard faced. According to delmavaranow.com, a news website dedicated to city of Salisbury, MA, the Virginian teen was taking part in a horseback riding lesson when she got caught in a sudden downpour…….of raw chicken. Ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration; it was more like three fairly large pieces of chicken, the smallest, of which was only a foot long, actually hit the teen. Luckily she was wearing a helmet and was therefore not seriously injured by the meat which fell out of a clear blue sky.
The source of the chicken remains a mystery. Leading theories suggest that the most likely culprit was high flying seagulls or turkey vultures. However, Jessica Cording, the owner of the farm where the lesson was being taught, contends saying, “We didn’t see birds or anything.” Other potential suspects include the nearby Tyson Foods Inc. processing plant located nearby and improperly composted chicken used as fertilizer for a nearby farm.
Most likely this incident will be categorized in the long history of unusual precipitation, one littered with things a bit more bizarre than animal bits falling from a clear sky. For instance, in 2008 the residents of the town of La Sierra Choco in Columbia were subjected to a half hour long rainstorm of blood. Also, in 1969 Punta Gorda, a city in Florida, received a shower of golf balls. In 2012 one Steve Hornsby of Bournemouth, England noticed mysterious blue, gelatinous globs in his yard after a hailstorm.
These are just a few of the many recorded instances of unusual substances falling from the sky, including everything from the standard frogs or fish up to the deadly and boat-sinking cattle rain (although the source in this case is less than reliable).
It’s unclear whether the residents of that region of Virginia are particularly concerned with the incident, but the local government seems to think it’s a pretty big issue. Rather than simply writing it off as another unusual precipitation case, officials seem focused on finding an answer. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will be conducting an investigation with Milton Johnson, the Land Protection Manager for the Tidewater region, saying, “We can’t have pieces of chicken falling out of the sky.”
Truth be told, I am not particularly sold on the possible explanations for the meat shower. Not only did the meat pieces seem too heavy for birds to carry, according to observers, but it fails to really account for how they got the meat in the first place. I am almost more inclined to believe unusual weather patterns picked up a chicken, eviscerated it, and dumped the pieces on the unfortunate teen.
Still this is just one more case to show that wearing helmets when participating in potentially dangerous activities is a good idea. While falls or accidents are possible, you never know just what might fall out of the sky and nail you on the noggin. Now all that’s left is to deal with possible therapy for the victim. Just imagine it. You are enjoying a nice autumn day while riding through the Virginian country side when all of a sudden bits of gore and meat rain down on you. If that’s not at least a little traumatizing I am not sure what is.
