A mother driving a van with four children inside got the shock of her life recently while motoring along Interstate 90 in Illinois near Barrington when a deer decided to do a gainer off an overpass.

The adult doe landed on Heidi Conner’s van windshield, shattering it and spraying glass shards inside the vehicle. The animal, which died, landed in the front passenger seat and console area beside Conner. She steered across three lanes of traffic to the shoulder in shock and with stunned children so she could call for help.

“I’m driving, everything was fine,” Conner told Chicago’s CBS 2 reporter Marissa Bailey. “Boom, and I have a deer lying next to me in my car.”

According to CBS 2’s report, Illinois Police State Trooper Justin Novarro said a witness to the accident said the deer came from atop the Illinois 72 overpass onto Interstate 90.

“Never in my career have I seen anything like this,” Novarro told the TV station.

The deer smashed the hood, windshield and roof.

“If it had been one inch to the left, it would have been dead center. I wouldn’t have been able to control the car,” she said. “And one inch to the right, it would have killed my son. I believe God was with me the whole time — he protected me, he preserved me for a reason.”