Post by Woody Williams on Oct 23, 2005 7:49:34 GMT -5
Watch out for deer
This is the time of year when collisions with rutting animals soar
By JOHN LUCAS Courier & Press Western Kentucky bureau (270) 333-4899 or jlucas@evansville.net
October 22, 2005
MARION, Ky. - It was about this time last year when Crittenden County Deputy Sheriff Ryan Orr got his deer. It was on Kentucky 120, a couple of miles east of town.
It was a little after dark as Orr was returning to town from working a call when an 11-point buck ran out in front of his cruiser.
"I didn't have time to react really," said Orr, 25. The impact demolished the front end of his Ford Crown Victoria cruiser and killed the deer, but Orr was lucky. He wasn't hurt. His seat belt and airbag prevented him from being injured.
"I got out and directed my own traffic until the sheriff got there," he said.
The deputy's wreck illustrates some common facts about deer-car crashes: Most occur in the fall, often in the early evening and drivers usually don't have time to react to avoid hitting them.
Crashes involving deer occur throughout the year, but their numbers increase dramatically in the fall. That's principally because the mating season, or rut, is in progress, and hunting seasons are open, which contribute to the deer being more active. The Kentucky State Police, which tracks the number of deer-auto collisions in Kentucky, say November is the most likely month to hit one.
Statewide, since 2000, the agency has investigated more than 3,000 wrecks involving deer annually. Except for the fall months, officers investigate about 200 a month.
The number, though, starts increasing in October, which since 2000 has averaged 444 crashes, according to state police statistics. The number jumps, though, in November to 806, and drops back to 309 in December.
In Kentucky, Hopkins and Henderson counties are among the most likely places to encounter a deer in the roadway. Henderson County leads the state with 138 wrecks reported annually, and Hopkins is third with 90.
Muhlenberg County has averaged 75 car-deer wrecks since 2000.
Most of the wrecks occur between 5 and 9 p.m. and between 6 and 8 a.m.
Reporting agencies in other states see similar trends. According to Sgt. Todd Ringle, spokesman for the Indiana State Police post at Evansville, law enforcement agencies across Indiana have reported investigating 7,750 wrecks caused by deer so far this year.
In Illinois, where data is gathered by the state's Department of Transportation, 23,438 deer-vehicle crashes were recorded in 2004, down from 25,660 in 2003.
"Cook County (Chicago) has by far the highest number," said Mary Ann Paulis with the department's accident information section. "It's a good trivia question."
In Illinois, the greatest number of wrecks involving deer occurs in other mid- to upstate counties, Pike, LaSalle, Peoria and Lake, she said. While deer abound in heavily forested and rural Southern Illinois, there are fewer vehicles on the roads to hit them.
Paulis said downstate counties such as Gallatin, Hardin and Saline reported 45, 62 and 190 deer crashes respectively in 2003.
Because of the number of people killed in deer-vehicle wrecks, the U.S. Department of Transportation classifies deer as the nation's most deadly animal. Nationwide more than 100 people die as a result of wrecks each year.
Ringle said 231 people in Indiana have been injured and one killed so far this year in deer wrecks. Five people died in Illinois last year and three in Kentucky.
Deer also cause millions of dollars nationwide in property damage claims for vehicle repairs. Auto body shops see a jump in the number of vehicles damaged in collisions with deer at this time of year.
On Friday, two deer-damaged vehicles were at the Kenny Kent Body Shop on Evansville's East Side for repairs.
"You wouldn't believe the damage a deer did to a Toyota Tundra pickup," said shop manager Brian Lynn.
Initial estimates were it would cost more than $7,300 to repair the truck.
"That's one big deer," Lynn said, who added the other vehicle had more than $1,200 worth of damage to its undercarriage where the deer had gone under it.
www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/article/0,1626,ECP_734_4180594,00.html
This is the time of year when collisions with rutting animals soar
By JOHN LUCAS Courier & Press Western Kentucky bureau (270) 333-4899 or jlucas@evansville.net
October 22, 2005
MARION, Ky. - It was about this time last year when Crittenden County Deputy Sheriff Ryan Orr got his deer. It was on Kentucky 120, a couple of miles east of town.
It was a little after dark as Orr was returning to town from working a call when an 11-point buck ran out in front of his cruiser.
"I didn't have time to react really," said Orr, 25. The impact demolished the front end of his Ford Crown Victoria cruiser and killed the deer, but Orr was lucky. He wasn't hurt. His seat belt and airbag prevented him from being injured.
"I got out and directed my own traffic until the sheriff got there," he said.
The deputy's wreck illustrates some common facts about deer-car crashes: Most occur in the fall, often in the early evening and drivers usually don't have time to react to avoid hitting them.
Crashes involving deer occur throughout the year, but their numbers increase dramatically in the fall. That's principally because the mating season, or rut, is in progress, and hunting seasons are open, which contribute to the deer being more active. The Kentucky State Police, which tracks the number of deer-auto collisions in Kentucky, say November is the most likely month to hit one.
Statewide, since 2000, the agency has investigated more than 3,000 wrecks involving deer annually. Except for the fall months, officers investigate about 200 a month.
The number, though, starts increasing in October, which since 2000 has averaged 444 crashes, according to state police statistics. The number jumps, though, in November to 806, and drops back to 309 in December.
In Kentucky, Hopkins and Henderson counties are among the most likely places to encounter a deer in the roadway. Henderson County leads the state with 138 wrecks reported annually, and Hopkins is third with 90.
Muhlenberg County has averaged 75 car-deer wrecks since 2000.
Most of the wrecks occur between 5 and 9 p.m. and between 6 and 8 a.m.
Reporting agencies in other states see similar trends. According to Sgt. Todd Ringle, spokesman for the Indiana State Police post at Evansville, law enforcement agencies across Indiana have reported investigating 7,750 wrecks caused by deer so far this year.
In Illinois, where data is gathered by the state's Department of Transportation, 23,438 deer-vehicle crashes were recorded in 2004, down from 25,660 in 2003.
"Cook County (Chicago) has by far the highest number," said Mary Ann Paulis with the department's accident information section. "It's a good trivia question."
In Illinois, the greatest number of wrecks involving deer occurs in other mid- to upstate counties, Pike, LaSalle, Peoria and Lake, she said. While deer abound in heavily forested and rural Southern Illinois, there are fewer vehicles on the roads to hit them.
Paulis said downstate counties such as Gallatin, Hardin and Saline reported 45, 62 and 190 deer crashes respectively in 2003.
Because of the number of people killed in deer-vehicle wrecks, the U.S. Department of Transportation classifies deer as the nation's most deadly animal. Nationwide more than 100 people die as a result of wrecks each year.
Ringle said 231 people in Indiana have been injured and one killed so far this year in deer wrecks. Five people died in Illinois last year and three in Kentucky.
Deer also cause millions of dollars nationwide in property damage claims for vehicle repairs. Auto body shops see a jump in the number of vehicles damaged in collisions with deer at this time of year.
On Friday, two deer-damaged vehicles were at the Kenny Kent Body Shop on Evansville's East Side for repairs.
"You wouldn't believe the damage a deer did to a Toyota Tundra pickup," said shop manager Brian Lynn.
Initial estimates were it would cost more than $7,300 to repair the truck.
"That's one big deer," Lynn said, who added the other vehicle had more than $1,200 worth of damage to its undercarriage where the deer had gone under it.
www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/article/0,1626,ECP_734_4180594,00.html