Impala Escapes Cheetahs--By Leaping Into Tourist Car: Watch Intrepid Impala "Cheetah" Death By Jumping Into Car With Young Children [VIDEO]

Impala escapes cheetahs by jumping into a car. The impala cheetah-d death by jumping into the tourist car at a South African safari park. Scroll down to watch the video of how the impala escapes the cheetahs.

A terrified impala escaped cheetahs at the Kruger National Park of South Africa. The safari has a policy that mandates visitors remain in their vehicle...but the car suddenly had an impala in it. The incident was caught on camera.

Samantha Pittendrigh caught the stunning moment as the impala leapt through the passenger-side window of a Toyota Prado.

She said: "We started freaking out going crazy. We couldn't believe it - we were absolutely dumbstruck."

Samantha Pittendrigh, 20 was with friends Tanith Human, 20, Carmen Thvle, 21, and Michelle De Jager, 21 when the incident occurred. Pittendrigh saw a herd of impalas running and recorded a video quickly.

"We had absolutely no idea what was going on," said Pittendrigh. "We watched the cheetah chasing the impala. We saw a few of them turn around in the bushes towards the road they were running from."

One impala was left behind and the pair of cheetahs started chasing it. The impala jumped through the window of their SUV to escape the cheetahs.

"All of a sudden we saw the impala jump out of the bushes and then someone started screaming 'it is in the car, it is in the car.'"

A surprising safari, indeed.

"We heard a little girl screaming in the car. The boy sitting outside the car filming looked a lot younger, so it must have been a family. People in other cars screamed 'open the door, open the door.'"

Eventually, someone opened the door and the terrified impala escaped. The cheetahs didn't chase after the impala after that-which is a good thing, because cheetahs are the fastest land animals on the planet. Their speed can clock in at 70 mph.

Pittendrigh said, "My family are so jealous. In all the years my parents have been going to Kruger Park they have never seen anything like it and we do go regularly.

"It really is a once-in-a-lifetime thing and we managed to be in the right place at the right time."

 See the incredible video below: