By The Associated Press

ENID, Okla. - An Oklahoma couple driving home from church hit an animal - a really big one.

An elephant that escaped from a nearby circus collided with the couple's SUV Wednesday night when it ran across a rural highway in Enid, about 160 kilometres north of Oklahoma City.

Police say the 29-year-old elephant had escaped earlier that night from the Family Fun Circus at the Garfield County Fairgrounds. The couple weren't injured in the crash, but police say the elephant had a broken tusk and an injured leg.

Authorities say the elephant's tusk tore a hole in the SUV's sheet metal.

After the crash, the elephant was taken to a veterinary school for an exam.

Dr. Dwight Olson says the elephant doesn't appear to have serious injuries.