Posted by: srep | April 2, 2008
Share Your Story
Have you ever struck an animal with your car, or have you ever been in an automobile accident with an animal? Was the animal a deer, an elk, a bear, a bird…? We want to hear your story.
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The Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project wants to hear your story. Please leave us a comment on this forum explaining any automobile accidents you have been in with an animal. Personal stories will help us to communicate the need for safe passage for wildlife and minimize wildlife vehicle collisions with the proper execution of mitigation efforts to help keep our roadways safe by protecting wildlife, you and your vehicles.
As I was driving into Durango one Thursday evening on CR 250 I hit a deer. I had just come through the stop sign at CR 250 and Trimble when a deer jumped in front of my Toyota pick-up. I immediately pulled over and approached the deer on foot. My truck kind of side swiped the deer mostly striking it’s head so when I approached the deer, she was conscious but, in a daze. When she got her wits together, she caught my scent and ran up the ridge to the east. I let her go for a few minutes then proceeded to find her. When I found her she was resting and alright. The same night, I was driving back home a few hours later on CR 250 when an elk jumped into the road in front of me. Once again it was more of a side swipe, however the whole side of my truck was damaged this time. I turned around to find about 30 elk crossing the road and though I was unable to distinguish the elk I hit from the rest, I think it was okay. Before this night the only animal I have ever hit in a car was a bird many years ago…
By: I hit a deer and an elk in one night on April 3, 2008
at 10:29 pm
in 1999 driving east on 160 by Chimney Rock i noticed two bear cubs on the side of road, and our driver did not notice the mother in the middle of 160. Mother was hit and slid to the other side of the road, then got up and moved on. minimal damage done to the vehicle for what was hit. this was night and the bear had moved toward the woods on the north side of the road….cubs crossed safely.
By: Bear hit on 160 on April 4, 2008
at 5:47 pm
Last November me and my roommates decided to go on a trip to my cabin outside of Buena Vista. At this point in time I was living in Colorado Springs. We packed all of our stuff and headout on our way in one of my roommat’s father’s jeep. We were driving on a road within the city limits of Colorado Springs when suddenly a deer appeared out of nowhere. The thing is there was a tree next to the road. The deer was standing on the other side of the tree (well covered up) and simply stuck it’s head around the corner. We hit the head of the deer with the headlight of the car causing minimal damage to the car but a lot of damage to the deer. We pulled to the side of the road to check on the deer but it was dead before we got to it.
By: Popped out of Nowhere on April 4, 2008
at 6:02 pm
Last August, I was driving within the city limits of Chapel Hill, NC on a two-lane residential road when out of nowhere a deer ran across the street. The deer was moving so quickly that, I did not catch her in my peripheral vision until it was too late. The marks on the car indicate that she jumped to try to avoid the car and landed in my windshield. After pulling over and removing the crumbled glass off my legs and torso, I went back to find the deer, but could not find her.
By: Chapel HIll Doe on April 14, 2008
at 10:17 pm
The first animal I have ever hit as the driver was here in Missoula, MT. I was coming home from a mountain bike ride at dusk and a deer ran across the road from between a couple houses. His timing was not good…he ran right into my driver’s side door. His antler ripped the side mirror off the car, but he did not appear to be injured. Nor was my car. I think we were both lucky!
By: Lucky in Missoula on April 22, 2008
at 8:21 pm
This is an old, old story c. early 60s and pre I-70. Art and I were driving west up Vail Pass in our station wagon with the four kids. Classic: deer comes out of no where and we hit her squarely, throwing her up and over the car. We were all OK, but the deer had perished, and the kids were devastated and in tears for many more miles.
By: Jean Smith on May 5, 2008
at 10:40 pm