Crazy bike accident story - can you top this one?

[Louis]

In my opinion this is on par with the Starbucks napkin story...

Tonight at the end a short ride after the thunderstorms came through, I was about 150 yards from the entrance to my subdivision when I noticed two deer on my left running full tilt toward the road. A split second after my brain registered the deer I also realized that one of those monster pick-ups was heading toward us in the other lane. The first deer flashed in front of the braking truck, but the second was hit broadside, bounced off the front of the truck, then hit me on my left side, causing me to fall.

I wasn't hit too hard and was more concerned about the deer, so I got up and saw it up the road behind me, scrambling around on it's side, unable to get up. My first thought was, "Oh boy, it's hurt pretty badly and can't get up, but it's still alive, and we're going to have to figure out a way to put it out of it's misery." At that point the driver and passenger in the truck came out and I turned my attention to them. By the time I looked back the deer was gone. I don't know how badly it was hurt, but it was a pretty good "thud" on impact.

I'm fine. Something banged my right thigh, and it might be a bit bruised in the morning, but nothing serious. I'm bummed out about the deer, though. There are loads of them around and there is a state park across the road from my subdivision, which is where the deer were headed. Unfortunately, they are so stupid. I guess their little brains are not able to figure out that crossing carefully is safer than making a run for it.

Riding the rest of the way home I realized that I should have thanked the driver (a very young girl, who was starting to cry) for not trying to swerve into my lane, which would have taken me out. And I was lucky there were no cars behind me..

It can happen so quickly.

Louis

[Bud_E]

I couldn't top that one even if I just made up something. I'm glad you and the driver are okay. Too bad about the deer.

[jeffg]

I couldn't top that one even if I just made up something. I'm glad you and the driver are okay. Too bad about the deer.

Can't top it, but during the Terrible Two a pit bull jumped out of a car window into about 200 cyclists ...

The guy about 15 feet in front of me got hit by the dog and his Scott frame snapped in half, dropping him to the ground along with about 10 other people ..

I somehow avoided the fray, and then avoided a gfuy who went end over end on the descent of Trinity Grade about an hour later (after my double flat on the climb)

It was a weird day ...

[medici]

Well, there's the guy in Colorado who hit the bear in June.

http://tinyurl.com/3q7rm7

And there's the legendary Death Ride story about a woman (friend of mine) who hit a bull descending the back of Monitor Pass.

Pete

[rwsaunders]

Deer season, Louis season, deer season, Louis season.....play on a famous scene from a Bugs Bunny flick with Elmer and Daffy.

Glad you're ok, because that had all the recipe for a real disaster. I feel for the driver, because she had no time to make a no-win decision on her part. 400 plus deer related accidents in my hood last year. Be careful out there.

[1centaur]

How many feet from the front of the truck to your bike at the moment of deer impact?

We need that info to make the Starbucks napkin comparison.

[Kines]

I have:

a soft heart.

a love for wildlife.

a disgust for guns and hunting.

And yet even I'm a little surprised you were so worried about the stupid deer! LOL.

Glad you're OK.

KN

[Ray]

Can't even begin to top it, but brought to mind...

My older daughter had some weird attraction to deer when she was living at home and driving our cars. I think she hit four or five of 'em, despite being an incredibly careful driver otherwise (no tickets, no accidents, friends complained she drove like a Grandma) - actually a couple of them hit her, based on where the impact to the car was. So now that she lives on her own, she doesn't drive, gets everywhere on her bicycle and, AFAIK, had never hit (or been hit by) a deer on her bike. I'll relay this story to her and tell her to be careful. Its just a matter of time.

Hey, Louis, glad you're OK!

-Ray

[chuckred]

yesterday during the Triple By Pass, a bus stopped (at a bus stop). A bike path was on the right and the bus stopped outside of the path. A large pace line started to go through between the bus and the lane (at speed - proof that group think loses it's intelligence), the door opens and a guy steps off the bus - looks up at 20 cyclists squeezing through the narrow lane at 20+mph. He tries to jump back on the bus, the paceline comes to a screeching hault, luckily no one crashed or was hurt, but it was close! And, stupid!

[sokyroadie]

Glad you are OK, that will be hard to top. I hate deer, they are everywhere in my area and I have hit 7 of them, (truck not bike).

Jeff

[Spinner]

... how did your sled survive the incident?

[Karin Kirk]

I'm glad you're OK!
I'd also be worried about the deer. But wow, what are the odds of such an event?

[dekindy]

A cyclist was broadsided by a deer in last year's Ride Across INdiana(RAIN). It ended his day and I am pretty sure the bike was beyond repair. The rider was in a large group of about a dozen riders and I think last in line. The deer was crossing US40 at full speed and hit the cyclist before he knew what happened.

[Kevan]

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=478019&postcount=6

[dookie]

a couple years ago, in broad daylight, at a fairly well-trafficked intersection near here i saw a deer run *through* a convertible that was stopped at the light!

there was a small group and they all bolted across the road...most went around/between the cars, but two of them tried to go over the convertible. one put all four hooves on the trunk, slipped a bit, but cleared it no problem. the other landed in a pile in the back seat and started thrashing around. needless to say, both of the car's human occupants bolted. the deer got untangled and moved on after 10-15sec...can't imagine what the back seat looked like.

small brains, indeed.

[Ken Robb]

Road Atlanta Raceway has lots of trees in the middle of the property and the track winds around them. When I was there to instruct at a driving school some years ago the track manager told us new guys their rule: Unless the critter in front of your car is bigger than the car don't try to swerve and avoid it. You can't guess which way the critter may jump and they lose a lot more cars swerving off line at speed than they do by cars hitting critters.

Please remember that cars at speed on a track are often near the limits of traction because that's what racing is all about. At those speeds thetre is no reserve of traction left to use to swerve or brake. On the road a driver has to make an immediate judgement call as to available traction and room for evasive maneuvers. Lots of people make the wrong decision as evidenced by how many vehicles (often tall trucks and utes) are rolled on staight sections of freeway. While I'm at it: if you are one of the millions of drivers who don't hold the wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock but reach across your body with one hand to grasp the wheel try an experiment. Go to a big parking lot and swerve around an imaginary obstacle. Two hands it's easy. Cross-draw grip it's nearly impossible. I survived a few years in my youth imitating the boys a couple of years older who got their licenses at 16 and demonstrated how cool and skilled they were by slouching in the seat and driving with the cross-hand grip. I figured out a better way after the night I was driving one-handed like Joe Cool under a viaduct in Chicago, saw a big pot hole, yanked the wheel to the left demonstrating my lightning reflexes by slamming the car over a divider curb. Bent a wheel but at least there was no on-coming traffic. Sorry for the drift but this is one of my favorite sermons. And it's Sunday.

[mike p]

Deer=hoofed rats

Mike

[shoe]

glad to hear no one was hurt too badly..i think that maybe the deer arent so much stupid as they were not meant to have their habitat taken away from them for houses and then the land divided up with roads and fast moving vehicles..teach them to drive and they would have a better understanding i think .. i believe they were here first...pretty crazy story..and a good thing for people to remember is if you see one there are usually more..good weekend to all....dave

[Louis]

How many feet from the front of the truck to your bike at the moment of deer impact?

We need that info to make the Starbucks napkin comparison.

~20 feet when the deer hit me. Since it took the deer a fraction of a second to get from the front of the truck to me I was a bit farther away when the initial (deer-truck) impact occured.

My bike is fine. Since it had just rained I had decided to take my MTB instead of a road bike, so no real concerns for that.

[gone]

A few years back I was cresting a hill and saw 2 deer coming hard from my right across the road. I held my hand up signaling the SUV that was passing me on the blind hill at 45 MPH, mostly in the oncoming traffic lane, to stop but since I was only a bicycle, she ignored me.

I hit my brakes hard in preparation for the inevitable swerve into my lane to kill me while avoiding the deer. She did indeed serve but hit the deer full on, smashed the front of her truckosaurus and shattering her windshield.

Felt sorry for the deer.

[gdw]

While I was digging out my camera several groups of riders passed and never saw them.

[A.L.Breguet]

Dude I knew way back watched in amazement as a ground hog tumble down an embankment and took out his front wheel. It was, I guess, one of things that happen before your eyes, but just doesn't compute.

[apolie]

You can ride your bike as fast as it, or you, can go. Mad, bad and dangerous :fight: :no:

[apolie]

You can ride your bike as fast as it, or you, can go. Mad, bad and dangerous :fight: :no: :bike:

[fiamme red]

You can ride your bike as fast as it, or you, can go. Mad, bad and dangerous :fight: :no: :bike:Thanks for the insight, dude! :confused:

But what do free background checks on sex offenders have to do with cycling? :no:

[jthurow]

Glad to hear you're ok, Louis. You need to ride in the city more; no worries about getting hit by dear. ;)

jimi

[BURCH]

Glad that you are ok. I really was expecting you to say that your bike or body were not doing well.

And no way that can be topped any time soon.