[CSEMARTIN]

I've been meaning to post this for some time now.

Every so often, I get called into the Emergency Department to take care of someone(s) that swerved their car to avoid hitting a deer. The deer prances away while the driver and occupants end up injured. I just got done taking care of an 18 year-old girl that swerved her car away from a deer. She rolled the car repeatedly and broke her back, ribs and shattered her arm. She also has a bruised lung, and one of her 17 year-old passengers broke his neck. He's lucky it didn't paralyze him.

So if a deer runs out in front of your car, hit the Mother f*#ker!!!

[speculatorking]

Thru-that!!!!

[Merlin Orr]

Truth.

[Seth]

I live at the end of a fairly long, twisty country road, fairly deep into a wooded suburb. I see a herd of deer in my backyard virtually every night. On road, they're always lurking and some of the bigger road side pastures will often have a ton of them grazing at night.

My wife has standing orders for driving home from work in the dark. 1. drive right down the middle of the road. leave options. 2. smack that muther into the next county... the car is replaceble.

[kz45]

MMmmmmm Road kill

[Neomet]

In general I agree but I will say I have seen a significant number of drivers seriously injured and two killed by deer/horses/other long legged animals that are hit and then come through the windshield. If you think I am understating this check these out.
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[Throwin Lead]

This was in Monday's local paper. Even when you hit them there can be grave consequences.

Local Woman Dies After Deer Crashes Through Windshield
Monday, November 10, 2008 – updated: 4:51 pm EST November 10, 2008

CHERRY TREE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A Venango County woman was killed after a deer crashed through her windshield on Friday in Cherry Tree Township.

According to police, Theresa Southwick, 40, struck the deer while driving along State Highway 8. Police said the deer struck the windshield, causing Southwick to crash her car into a ditch.

She died the next day at a local hospital.

[Front Man]

It's bad enough here we should be able to hunt them like coyotes...
Year around.
FM

[boz1911]

Just as a reminder, here in Georgia the rut has started. The one time of year the deer all get stupid. Please drive with extreme caution for the next couple of weeks. If you see a doe, a buck is likely close by.

[steel1212]

What Boz meant to say

boz1911, on Nov 11 2008, 11:03 PM, said:

Just as a reminder, here in Georgia the rut has started. The one time of year the deer all get stupid. Please drive with extreme caution for the next couple of weeks. If you see a doe, a buck is likely close by roll down window and shoot.

What kills me is here in town people feed them then complain when they hit the damn things...guess why they are in town.

[CSEMARTIN]

Neomet, on Nov 11 2008, 09:14 PM, said:

In general I agree but I will say I have seen a significant number of drivers seriously injured and two killed by deer/horses/other long legged animals that are hit and then come through the windshield.

I have heard of this happening, and I would love to see some stats comparing injuries betweeen drivers that swerve vs. drivers that hit the animals.

Do deer sirens or sonic animal repellents work?

I will admit that I have a bias because I only see the people that come in to the hospital after they have swerved. In the last 9 years of taking care of trauma patients, I have never seen anyone come in after they have hit a deer or other large animal.

[Loose Brass]

WARNING!
Somewhat graphic. You probably shouldn't read this if you have a weak stomach or really like horses.



Hitting a deer is bad, but try this!

Several years ago I drove a wrecker for two years working 3rd shift for a towing company that had the local city and county contracts. I drove a rollback (flatbed truck). I was sent out to an accident about 4am one morning in February. The accident happened on a four lane interstate under heavy fog. 16 horses somehow managed to get away from a local horse farm that was next to the interstate. The horses made it out onto the eastbound side and were standing in the road when a semi tractor trailer hit them full on and also a jeep cherokee that was in the lane beside him. Due to the heavy fog conditions the drivers could not see the horses until it was too late. Fourteen of the sixteen horses were hit.

I was originally sent to this accident to pick up the jeep cherokee along with another truck that would be towing in the tractor trailer. When we arrived on the scene I was horrified at the aftermath I saw. The jeep and the tractor were both completely destroyed and covered in blood and horse hair. But the freakiest thing I saw was all the horse blood on the highway. So much so a complete section of the road was covered red and steam was rising off of it. The worst was yet to come though I soon found out. There were pieces and parts of horses everywhere, legs, torsos, heads, etc. As I was getting ready to load the jeep up onto my deck and take off the police working the scene approached me. They informed me before I hooked up the jeep that somebody was going to have to clear the road of the larger horse parts as a lot of them were to heavy to be moved by hand. So since my company had the city/county contract I had to do what the cops asked. I spent the next hour or so winching horse parts up onto the deck of my truck and depositing them into a pile off the roadway for somebody else to come and dispose of. Eventually I picked up the jeep and went back to the impound yard and called it a freakin day. Both of the drivers of the vehicles survived. All 14 of the horses that were hit did not. I hope this wasn't to graphic, I actually left out some of the more gruesome details.

This post has been edited by Loose Brass: 13 November 2008 - 06:16 PM

[CSEMARTIN]

Loose Brass, on Nov 12 2008, 12:35 AM, said:

I spent the next hour or so wenching horse parts up onto the deck of my truck

[ChrisStock]

Had a similar problem in Germany... 2 lane road, black ice, and frequent accidents on the road leading into our small base caused by deer in the road.

One night, a few hundred pounds of stag met the front half of my Audi 100. I knew if I locked 'em up, I'd be completely out of control so had no choice and plowed into him. The insurance company refused to pay initially thinking I was just another drunk soldier that drove into a pole/wall/vehicle. This was debunked when the claim adjuster came out and took hair and flesh samples out of what was left of my grill.

mmmmmm venison roasts.

[Seth]

Big SUV, squarish grille, smallish deer.... I stand by my advice to my wife. Better to smack em than swerve and pray... we have too many big, old trees on either side of the road to risk a swerve.

[wide45]

CSEMARTIN, on Nov 12 2008, 01:05 AM, said:

Do deer sirens or sonic animal repellents work?

No


http://cru.cahe.wsu....677/eb1677.html

[LPatterson]

Police in Helena, Montana (State capitol) have killed 50 deer within the city limits in an effort to reduce the deer herd to an acceptable number. Meat was given to local homeless shelters.

[waktasz]

Don't swerve, hit the brakes, but if an impact is inevitable, let off the brakes so the front of the car hits him square, and he doesn't slide up your hood and take your head off.


Note: Does not work with Moose, as seen above.

This post has been edited by waktasz: 12 November 2008 - 09:02 AM

[JimmyZip]

I know this is serious, but some of your comments are killing me!

[Alan Meek]

Here is what happens when I hit a doe last Jan @ 55mph. She jumped out and I didn't see her so there was no time to hit the brakes. But I did not her across the road like a hockey puck. What was really cool two days later as I was driving home on the same road there was a youn bald eagle sitting on the split rail fence right over the does body.


Alan

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[chendersby]

Here is what happens when you hit one on the Autoban going 140.

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[Alan Meek]

chendersby, on Nov 12 2008, 08:59 PM, said:

Here is what happens when you hit one on the Autoban going 140.

I prefer the 6000lbs at 55mph

I could drive away LOL

Alan

[Palmetto Sharpshooter]

Neomet, on Nov 11 2008, 09:14 PM, said:

In general I agree but I will say I have seen a significant number of drivers seriously injured and two killed by deer/horses/other long legged animals that are hit and then come through the windshield. If you think I am understating this check these out.
<mod: no dead-animal pictures, even mashed into a car, thanks>

That is one butt ugly deer.

[DrawandDuck]

You mean like THIS..................

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[Miranda]

guys,
Do not confuse a deer with a moose.

You will likely survive hitting a deer.
not swerving is good advice, too many other problems are created.

Try your best to avoid hitting a moose.
moose are just high enough and just heavy enough,
They often come through the windshield.

Deer are getting common enough that they should be
rounded up and killed for meat.
The cities and suburbs are not good places for such large animals.

miranda