A deer that was thought to be road kill sprang to life on Tuesday, leaping from a motorist’s trunk and giving local cops the fright of their lives.

The amazing video, captured from a nearby dashboard camera, shows the resilient deer unexpectedly recovering from its wounds and making a spirited dash toward freedom.

The hilarious scene occurred at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning, when Kalamazoo, Mich., cops spotted a suspicious man sitting in his car outside of a local motel and decided to investigate.

The driver told Kalamazoo officer David Miller that he had struck a whitetail deer and "intended on utilizing the meat from the road kill to feed his family," according to WOOD-TV. Cops informed the driver that they’d have to inspect the deer for the proper “kill permit or accident permit," and the man consented to the search. That’s where things got interesting.

Upon opening the car’s trunk, Officer Miller quickly realized that the would-be meal was still very much alive. "Oh, he's still alive," Miller exclaimed as he scrambled out of the animal’s path. After stumbling around and regaining its senses, the deer took off into the woods. Local officials believe that the animal did not suffer any serious injuries.

Gawker noted the similarities between this real-life incident and the infamous scene from the cult classic film “Tommy Boy,” in which a similarly struck deer awakens and wreaks havoc on Chris Farley’s car.

Still, local cops suggested that the situation could have been a lot worse. "You just never know what you're going to encounter," Kalamazoo officer Lt. Stacey Geik said. "You never know. There could be worse things in trunks."