Advocacy & Safety - Deer and biker collide: Both go down

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pcmike
06-15-09, 06:33 AM
Yikes. Some friends were doinbg a 100-miler this weekend when a deer jumped out and knocked a rider off his bike this weekend... here's my buddy's report:

http://bikefitness.net/v2/blog.php/biker-deer-crash

GodsBassist
06-15-09, 07:19 AM
This almost happened to me last fall. Deer cut across about 10 feet in front of me, and I was moving pretty fast. I never noticed how big they were until then... and FAST!

I hope your friend isn't too sore.
pcmike
06-15-09, 12:48 PM
He rode the day after... so I guess he survived. Another example of how helmets save lives!

Roody
06-15-09, 01:23 PM
A rider here in Traverse City was crippled for life in a bike-deer collision. I've had deer "hiss" at me and become quite agressive when riding my MTB. This is has never happened when I'm walking. My theory is that deer think cyclists are some strange new animal. Maybe they don't really register cyclists as human beings. (Similar to what Tom Vanderbilt said about drivers. ;))
njkayaker
06-15-09, 02:15 PM
Yikes. Some friends were doinbg a 100-miler this weekend when a deer jumped out and knocked a rider off his bike this weekend... here's my buddy's report:

http://bikefitness.net/v2/blog.php/biker-deer-crash

A deer took me off of the road years ago on a 100 miler (spooky coincidence!). Two hopped in front of me. The third one nailed me. I was OK; the bike was OK; the deer was OK (less some hair). The riders behind me were amused.
Ajenkins
06-15-09, 06:08 PM
He rode the day after... so I guess he survived. Another example of how helmets save lives!

Oh dear lord. Another example of the inability for human beings to apply knowledge and reason to a problem instead of a magic talisman.
parademaker
06-16-09, 08:49 AM
This is why I hunt in the winter... riders should make it a point to know when their local rut season so they can be more aware while they ride. Deer are careless during their mating season and usually don't pay attention to paths of traffic or even other "strange new creatures" riding down the trails.
mattotoole
06-17-09, 12:27 AM
We had a really bad deer incident during the Mountains of Misery ride a couple of years ago. A herd of deer ran through a group of cyclists. Several cyclists went down, and one was injured pretty seriously. Thankfully he recovered completely to ride again the next year, with a pretty good time too. There are links to newspaper articles about it on the ride website.