DEER HIT-a preventable accident??

I have a friend who was driving his truck home with his wife in the passenger seat one night. A deer walked or ran in front of the truck. This man knew not to swerve to avoid a deer but he was startled at this moment and did just what he knew not to do. The truck rolled onto it's side in a ditch hitting a culvert on the drivers side of the truck. His wife was killed, he servived with minor injuries.

If a deer gets itself in front of my truck leaving me little or no to time react, the deer isn't going to make it. If it's safe to avoid the deer, I will. Usually it's not safe to make an effort to avoid the deer. As others have said, don't risk your job, your truck and most importantly your life for a deer. If the company doesn't understand then, so be it. You still lived to tell your side of the story.

 

It's not considered a preventable with Swift. Didn't even get reviewed. In fact our fleet manager used my hitting Bambi as this year's example of the right thing to do when faced with the situation.

I smacked the heck outta Bambi and kept going until there was a place I felt was safe for my truck and trailer. Personally I think Bambit was suicidal, it lept out went past the truck then turned at the double yellow line and sprang back into me.

To many people pull over immediately and put their loads in danger. I'm not rolling my truck and trailer over a deer. I realize the PETA people will be after me but tough.

(I've gotten so mean over the last 19 months of driving. I use to cry over every bunny I hit but now I count 'em like little target points)

 

my record is 5 possums and 3 armadillos in one night

 

What??? And you left a good meal at the side of the road???

 

The next day when I got into our terminal my fleet manager was telling me what a good job I did by protecting the load, not swerving etc. Then he leans over and says "you driver a reefer, you couldn't have just thrown that venison into the back of it???"

Of course he was kidding but still it was just to funny. LOL


Most of the support staff was teasing me about not bringing home the venison. lol

 

WOW!! I must admit that's impressive.

 

Roadside Venison umm tender!

 

If we counted all the things we hit , it would unreal, that same month i hit that deer, 2 weeks latter i hit a mama duck, put a golf ball size hole in lower right corner of winsheild, and at the time i was thinking breakfast too, now i had a duck, what left in my lap eggs on the dash , blood guts everywere gees what a mess,i thought i got shot as that was the time ,they were shooting people on the overpasses in Iowa, but got home , i was only 80 miles from home , but first pulled up on a off ramp and took pics of everything, then doc everything in quial-comm . they beep back asking im allright , type back yup, found out latter from disp that a driver did get shot in southern iowa, bullet hole too right upper corner windsheild hitting his right seat, put truck in freightshaker here in d-town called up boss man said this my sign im taking 2 weeks vac and he just said okay, but anywere you go , deer and animal will be out, my deer hit was at night, when its too late,but ill never ever serve too hit anything ,not worth my load or life, when i get too shipper , i might have a few busted palletts too pickup, but thats a small price too pay for not rolling a trl and have too pickup the load outa dicth. Everett.

 

I hit a few when I ran nights. I always stopped at the first safe place and checked the truck for damage. Only once did I have real damage (radiator) but it would have sucked that time to run it until the idiot lights came on (winding narrow 2 lane with no shoulders most of the way).