Deer hits pickup truck, flies through Freightliner windshield

A truck driver in northern Missouri had a deer come through his daycab windshield on Friday after a passenger vehicle hit the animal and sent it flying.

It happened at 12:45 p.m. of Friday, Nov. 11, on Highway 136.

Jamison Harbison, 50, of Richland, Iowa, was taken to Putnam County Hospital in Unionville, Mo., for minor injuries. He was driving a 2013 Freightliner.

A 30-year-old woman from Unionville was driving the other vehicle, a 1999 Dodge Dakota. She was not injured. The Missouri Highway patrol reports both drivers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

The Dodge Dakota was heading east. The impact flung the deer into the air. It went through the windshield of the oncoming Freightliner and out the back window of the cab, according to KRVO.com, which published photos of the incident.

States with the most vehicle-animal collisions

CarInsurance.com has listed the states with the most animal-vehicle collisions for 2020-21. West Virginia leads the state rankings, adding the odds of a driver colliding with an animal are 1 in 37.

The rest of the top 10: Montana, South Dakota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Wyoming, Minnesota and Iowa.

MoneyGeek.com reports much the same information. It adds that most deer-vehicle collisions happen at dusk and the second peak is at dawn. There is an interactive map where you can click on a state to find where it ranks. Missouri ranks 14, with a 1-in-74 chance of a deer-vehicle crash.

About 1.5 million deer-vehicle crashes happen each year, Money Geek reports. They cause more than $1 billion worth of damage. There are 175 to 200 deaths annually because of deer-vehicle crashes.

The Insurance Information Institute recommends drivers be vigilant during peak deer hours, and remember they rarely roam alone.

More tips for remaining safe:

• Use high beams at night if there is no oncoming traffic to illuminate their eyes better.
• Don’t swerve to avoid a deer but slow down.
• Wearing a seat belt can really pay off if there is a crash with a deer. LL

News categorized by state can be found on LandLine.Media.