Ultra-fast roller coasters are cool and all, but you always forget about the birds. One rider of the newest (and fastest) coaster in Europe recently got a swift reminder, however, when a pigeon flew into his neck during one ride, even if it did not seem to impede the rider’s enjoyment much.

The unidentified rider got the rude awakening when a pigeon collided with his neck while he was riding on the Red Force coaster at Ferrari Land, a theme park which opened Friday near Barcelona, according to Mashable. The collision appears to have been deadly for the bird, which ran into a coaster capable of reaching 111 miles per hour in five seconds.

The bird clung to the man’s neck for a few moments before he tossed it aside, giving his companion a bewildered look in the process. After a beat, the man threw his hands back in the air, apparently cognizant that life, for him at least, must go on.