Although precise data remains unavailable, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, more than 1.5 million deer-vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2002. These crashes caused $1.1 billion in damaged vehicles, resulted in 150 human fatalities and culminated in the deaths of 1.5 million deer. Because deer inhabit all states, including Hawaii, this is not an issue limited to a certain number of states. The number of these crashes may be much higher since the majority of deer-related crashes are not reported to police agencies. General education and signage seem to be the best way of warning motorists of the dangers of nearby deer. Deer season peaks in October and November and then again in May and June.
WTXL reports that a woman was seriously injured in a Jefferson County collision in Madison County.
The accident occurred on Wednesday at about 8:45 p.m. on SE Dale Leslie Drive. There was a passenger in the vehicle with the driver at the time of the crash.
The driver of a Kia Sorento was traveling eastbound on SE Dale Leslie Drive when a deer came into the path of the vehicle from the south shoulder. The driver steered to the right in an attempt to avoid a collision with the animal. The vehicle traveled onto the north shoulder and into a ditch.
The driver, 32-year-old Lizabeth Marie Taylor was transported to Madison Memorial Hospital. Her injuries were serious.
The passenger in Taylor’s vehicle was uninjured.