Trooper Rescues Injured Bald Eagle Hit by Car in Eagan

EAGAN (AP) - A Minnesota state trooper has rescued a bald eagle that was struck by a vehicle on a Twin Cities freeway.

Trooper Paul Kingery responded to a dispatcher's call and found the eagle along the shoulder of Interstate 494 in Eagan on Sunday afternoon.

Kingery used his coat as protection while picking up the eagle and placed the bird in his squad car. He brought the injured eagle to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center in St. Paul.

The eagle suffered internal injuries but no broken bones.

Julia Ponder, the Raptor Center's executive director and a staff veterinarian, says the eagle is "doing better after quite a bit of trauma from being hit by a car."

Ponder says the eagle will be released once it's fully recovered.