In the 90s I saw a brown heron-type in flight, headed toward a road, at Chincoteague NWR in coastal Virginia. Just as I was realizing that it was an American Bittern and not a juvenile night-heron, it hit some electrical wires just the wrong way and electrocuted itself. I immediately got in my car, drove to where the bittern had fallen, put the bird in my trunk, and drove to the visitor's center. After a short conversation, I handed it over to the ranger, who was going to put it in a freezer and eventually take it to a museum.
When I got home, I thought about the situation for a few minutes and decided to count it on my day/year/county lists because I had just about arrived at the identification as the bird's death occurred.