LACROSSE, Ind. — Drivers should be careful, or they could end up like an Indiana man taken away by ambulance following an encounter with a deer.
On Oct. 18, Yuchen Zheng, 22, crashed into a ditch trying to avoid a deer near LaCrosse and was taken to Porter Regional Medical Center near Chesterton, bleeding severely from a major laceration to his arm. According to LaPorte County Police, Zheng was driving from his home in West Lafayette to Kalamazoo, Mich., when the wreck happened just after 9 p.m.
Not only is autumn the time when motor vehicles accidents with deer are at their highest, but the chances of colliding with the animals throughout the year are up significantly in some states, including Indiana. According to a report by State Farm Insurance, data from accident claims and government sources reveal the odds in Indiana of striking a deer in 2015 is 1 out of every 142 drivers.
Last year, the odds were one out of every 172 Hoosier drivers, making it the second consecutive year collisions with deer were up by more than 20 percent, according to the report. It ranks West Virginia as the most dangerous state, with 1 out of every 44 drivers having a chance to hit a deer.
Montana, Iowa, Pennsylvania and South Dakota were next in line, with Michigan not far behind; the odds in that state are 1 out of every 97 drivers. In Iowa, the odds were one out of 68. Kentucky ranked 14th in the report, with the odds at 1 out of every 113 drivers, while Tennessee ranked 29th with the odds at 1 in 170.
Ohio came in at 20th with the odds of hitting a deer in that state at 1 out of every 131 drivers, according to the report.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Shawn Brown said the chances go up in the fall because deer are more active during mating season and they’re driven from the cover of farm fields during harvest. A risk factor year-round is a deer population many believe is still rising despite organized hunts and other efforts over the years to thin their numbers.
Brown said there might be more deer living in certain spots, but felt there have been successes in controlling the population at least in Indiana. In the northwestern part of the state, early hunting season was canceled this year because of a population deemed under control. "That’s the first time that’s happened in several years," said Brown.
To reduce the chances of a collision, among what drivers can do is look further out and across both sides of the road and if they see a deer, begin slowing down and keep going straight even if it means contact. The worst thing for a driver is to suddenly jerk the steering wheel to try to avoid a deer, which can lead to collisions with other motorists and trees, said Bill Thompson, chief of the St. Joseph County Police Department in South Bend. "As unfortunate and unpleasant as it is to hit the animal, if there is no other alternative that is the safer option, than doing some really high-speed maneuver that folks aren’t generally prepared for," he explained.
Many times, collisions cannot be helped because of deer that seem to suddenly jump out. But if a deer is spotted ahead, drivers should tell themselves in advance to maintain control of the vehicle so they’re not startled into taking evasive action.
"You’d much rather do damage to your vehicle with a deer, as opposed to a semi truck," said LaPorte County Police Captain Mike Kellems.
Brown does not believe the hunting season, which runs Oct. 1-Jan. 3, 2016, for crossbows, has much to do with drivers encountering more deer this time of year. He said hunting is usually in more secluded areas and when deer start to run from being fired at, it’s generally away from roads, especially the more heavily traveled ones.
Most collisions with deer also happen during the late evening to early morning hours, from deer being on the move from a feeling of safety that comes from the cover of darkness, he explained.
