Something strange happened
susie
Member Posts: 7,594 ✭✭✭✭
Something strange happened to me on the way home last Sunday night. I was returning from Rogers, Arkansas which is about a 250 mile drive, 4.5 to 5 hours depending on traffic and rest stops. This trip I didn't stop so I was making fairly decent time.
I had made it past the detour on Hwy 142 so I was about 30 miles from home. Out of the corner of my eye on my left I spot a young doe standing about 20 feet from the road. I'm coming downhill doing 55 in my trusty 2500HD Chevy. Knowing deer don't turn and run from light I immediately begin braking. No one behind me so I wasn't concerned about stopping a little more abruptly.
As anticipated, she jumped and ran in front of me. I had braked it down to maybe 5-10 mph or so by the time she and I met up on the highway. I heard the hit and felt a bump. Just knew I had run over her. Got to a safe place where I could turn around and go back to see her state of being. If she was suffering I would dispatch her, if she were dead and not mangled badly I would contact the authorities and claim the carcass.
Got back to where I just knew I had hit her and there was nothing. No deer, no blood, I hadn't left skid marks so I hadn't locked it up. Turned around and headed back toward home and a lit area where I could assess if there was any damage to my front end. Pulled into a convenience store on the outskirts of town. By this time it was about 10 pm. Store was closed, but still well lit. I got out, walked around the truck searching it from stem to stern. Nothing, nada, nil. Not a scratch, bit of hair, smear of blood, nothing.
I get back in the truck and finish my last ten miles to my house. Messaged the kids I had made it home safely. I had no desire to unload the truck in the dark that late so I left the unloading until morning.
Monday morning I get up to release the velociraptors (chickens), feed the goats and water everyone. Again, in the daylight, I examine the truck. Still nothing. I even checked the wheel wells and undercarriage. By this time I have convinced myself I have lost my mind or hit a ghost deer.
Went to unload the truck and received my answer to the mystery. My suitcase had been sitting in the backseat directly behind me. The suitcase was no longer in the back seat, it was now in the floorboard. When I did the hard brake I must have actually come to a stop just as she jumped in front of the truck. I believe I bumped her and my suitcase hit the back of my seat at the exact same time making it feel as if I had bumped over something. That is the only explanation that makes any sense. So, she probably ran on with nothing but a bruise. I was lucky to have no damage to my truck.
Comments
You, the truck,and the deer cashed in on a lucky chip. Glad it wasn't worse.
I’m glad I read the whole story! Pretty interesting & I bet you’re right!
According to my insurance agent,,,, If there was damage,,, then the deer hit you and she was uninsured.
Four years ago following my hip surgery, Daughter was driving me home in my Chevy pickup. Within seconds after I'd cautioned her about a a high traffic deer crossing, a good sized buck ran across the hwy. Daughter had already slowed a bit and got on the brakes almost to the anti-lock chatter stage. There was a "THUMP" but the buck leaped the fence and went out of sight. I figured the RanchHand grill guard would protect the grill and radiator and we made it home w/o further incidents.
Next morning I gimped out to see what had been damaged and found NOTHING. No hair or blood and not even any place where there was a rub in the ever present road scum. Best guess was the thump was the grill guard hitting the buck's hind leg and we all came away basically unscathed.
About 15 years ago I was driving to work about 5:30 on a dark drizzly fall morning on a fairly heavy travelled 2 lane road. I was stopped behind a car waiting to make a left hand turn when a small doe ran out from the left and was clipped by an oncoming truck. The doe skidded in front of my Blazer and disappeared. The truck that hit it didn't stop and the car in front made its turn but something told me to just sit there and not proceed. I got out and looked and the deer was under my front bumper. By now traffic was piled up behind me and I couldn't back up or go forward. About then a local officer came by from the other direction and pulled off with his lights flashing and walked over to see why I was blocking traffic with my four way flashers going. He was a little irate until I walked him around and showed him the doe laying there and looking at us from under the front of my bumper. He blocked traffic so I could back up and when I did the poor doe stood up, staggered a couple of steps and then ran off the road, apparently only bruised a bit. The cop said that after 20 years on the job, that was the first time he saw a deer hiding from traffic under a vehicle. Bob
I wasn't so lucky Friday evening. Living in a rural area certainly has it's perks, but there's also a higher possibility of connecting with some nature when you don't want to.
Cruising down a winding road near the local trap club in my Mustang and out of nowhere came a big beast with lots of pointy things on its head. No time to react or do anything before impact, just continue to the gun club parking lot to assess the damage. Hood and bumper will need to be replaced.
Late evening, driving daughter's subcompact, riding with window down. Bambi's daddy came up out of the median, headed for me. I pulled to the right, but he WHAMMED into driver's door- thought for a minute he was coming into front seat with me. Pulled over to assess damage- as I stepped out saw Mr. Bambi stand, shake his head and run off the roadway. As I go to get back in car, something on the dash caught my eye- 9 inches of antler laying on dash. When he hit driver's door, snapped antler and tossed it on the dash.
Used it to make a knife handle.
...never hit a deer, a good thing...I was coming back from Elk hunting in Co....around 4AM, of course it was dark...running 70mph or so down a two lane FM road, when from nowhere I was IN a HERD of about 15 or so Elk running across the road...I missed them and they missed me, I was in and out of the herd before I could even hit the brake...have no idea how we all missed each other...I think hitting an Elk as big as they are, it might be similar to hitting a horse...knock their legs out from under them and they come across the hood into the windshield, really bad news usually...I hit a 4-500 pound cow once 😁...I was in High School and supposed to be grounded...my truck was drivable but sure messed up the front...when Dad came home and saw it he woke me up and wanted to know "who" I hit...I said "what ?"..."WHAT/WHO did you hit, I saw your truck!"...I got grounded for even longer..,.
I had a tiny little doe run into the side of my Jeep on the front passenger side 1/4 panel. Left a good size dent. It was dead on impact and gone the next day.
Heading to a job a couple years ago, I noticed a herd of deer, running across a field. I actually stopped to see if there were any bucks in the herd. Got my answer about twenty seconds later. The herd turn and three of the deer ran right into the side of my new truck. WTH. Were they trying to commit suicide?? One buck and two does, dented the whole side of my truck. All three then ran back across the field and into the woods. Insurance did pay for it, because I had deer hair stuck in the door lock and trim on both the front and back wheel wells.
The local PD usually call Donna and I if there is a Deer/car accident, to come get the deer. We get about two free deer a year, and I share them with the neighbors. The lady down the road is a butcher for Shop rite, and she helps us butcher and vacuum seal the venison. Most of this meat goes to the elderly, since Donna doesn't like venison.
I worked scores, and scores of deer/car wrecks as a paramedic in central Georgia. A deer can take a pretty good lickin' and keep on tickin.
Maybe we need elk/moose tests like Sweden -
If your vehicle can pass this, a deer probably would be a piece of cake. Bob
My wife's cousins hit one on their way to Michigan from Alaska last spring. All three were in the hospital severely injured. They didn't even get the animal, but were put on a wait-list.
Holy smokes! I hope they recovered from their injuries. That looks pretty much like the description of what happens in the link I posted. Bob
I've only hit a dog on one of the back roads while driving.....I felt horrible and I was SO MAD at the owner of the dog for letting it run around in such a dangerous place. I saw a HUGE buck running along the side of the road one day and hit the breaks just in case it turned toward traffic. There is a stretch of 280 that is COVERED with deer along the side....they are munching on grass along the side of the road....so close you can put your arm out and touch them if you slowed down. That always makes me nervous when I come through there at night.
Ranch Hand sells a LOT of bumpers/grill guards to north MO drivers. You either have a grill guard or you're walking home after whopping a deer sooner or later. A good grill guard will protect the radiator and other tender bits behind the grill but may not completely protect the corners and fenders.
Son smacked a small doe that crossed and then re-crossed the road in front of him. No damage to the front but the carcass cartwheeled down the side denting both doors.
I used to drive a Jeep Cherokee XJ to work. I installed a winch bumper with a 'knock down bar' (that's a hood high bar that extends several inches ahead of the front edge of the hood and 'knocks' deer down rather than allowing them to roll up over the front). Three deer strikes and not a mark on the Jeep.