Hit a deer this morning...

[Airbozo]

I was on my way to work cruising about 50mph through the mountain twisties when I came around a corner and there she was. A very large doe who had just popped out of the brush on the right side of the road. As I grabbed for the brake, our eyes locked and I knew in that instant she was going to bolt in front of me.

She turned and leaped right into my path and in what seemed like 10 minutes several things flashed through my mind. The first one was CBDR. Something I learned way back when I was in the Navy. The second things was "Wow, she is beautiful", then: "This going to hurt". Instinct took over and I flashed back to the motorcycle safety course thinking over and over that I had a chance to miss her if I could keep it straight while I punished my brakes.

I managed to put a death grip on my front brake lever without locking up the tire. At the same time, I slightly shifted my weight backwards and stepped on the rear brake pedal. Still trying not to lock it up.

We made eye contact again and the terrified look on her face made me feel sad that I was going to hurt her and kind of pissed that she jumped my way. Didn't she hear me coming? Did she have to pause ever so slightly, making it that much harder to avoid her? Push right, lean right, go right, I heard in my mind like she was telling me what to do.

My front tire was chattering on the verge of locking up and I can feel my back tire letting go as I ease up on the pedal. The rear tire took hold again and I upped the pressure on the front brake, hoping that my new Metzler's were ready for some serious strain. I could now hear the front tire complaining and for an instant I thought "that's it, I am going to wake up in the hospital". She paused again and changed direction slightly.

I could feel my front end flex from the strain of the brakes and trying to pull off a quick turn. I saw my current path was going to take me into a rather large redwood tree if I couldn't stop in time or somehow miss the doe in time to head left. Killed by a deer or face plant into a redwood at 40... Not much of a choice. Again, she changed direction like a red rat on fourth of July. This time she tried to get out of my way and as she was mid leap my front tire made contact with her rear left hind quarters. Barely. Just enough to make me flinch and lock up the front end.

I released the front brake quickly and pushed left and as I brushed past her our eyes locked again and I knew this was not my day to go down. I stepped off the rear pedal and pushed a little harder left knowing I still had to avoid running off the road. As I was hard leaning left, I saw the doe make a final leap up and out of the road. Good she was still moving and it really was only a slight bump and not just wishful thinking.

I still had to avoid running off the road... A little more pressure on the left side handlebar. My kick stand was chattering on the pavement reminding me I only had another inch to lean so I took it. The kickstand was not chattering anymore, it was in full scrape mode as I was crossing the white line seeing that this spot in the road had almost no room past the line. I felt the rear end start to slip on the paint of the line and then catch as the tire crossed the line onto pavement then back across the line again into my lane.

I did it! I hit a deer and came out unscathed! (OK I only slightly bumped her rear leg)

My first though was DAMN THAT BITCH!, then a feeling of gratitude that she went airborne just as I touched her.

Two things saved me from a trip to the hospital; My dual front brakes and the motorcycle safety course.

Excuse me while I go clean my shorts....

[Fuganater]

Glad your ok mate. Also good writeup of the event.

[Airbozo]

Glad your ok mate. Also good writeup of the event.

Thanks!

I can't believe how vivid it still is in my head... What took seconds, seems like it was minutes.

[AmEv]

Whoah! Glad all is well!


Cant help but think of this line, now:

I saw a deer today.

[xr4man]

holy cow! that's definitely a close one and very worthy of the dirty shorts.

[OvRiDe]

Glad your OK Terry!

A close friend of mine just went through that several months ago, and didn't come out as well. 6 broken ribs, broken clavicle, collapsed lung, and a nice Harry Potter scar on his forehead. He has been riding for 45 years, and he said that's the only thing that saved him from a worse outcome. In his case the deer was on the side of the road and just as he was passing by, it bolted and actually hit him. He was on a Harley Electra glide touring bike, and it tried to jump over him. His wife was on the back but came out of it with a slight scrape on her elbow. Both of them were wearing heavy leathers.

[Airbozo]

Glad your OK Terry!

A close friend of mine just went through that several months ago, and didn't come out as well. 6 broken ribs, broken clavicle, collapsed lung, and a nice Harry Potter scar on his forehead. He has been riding for 45 years, and he said that's the only thing that saved him from a worse outcome. In his case the deer was on the side of the road and just as he was passing by, it bolted and actually hit him. He was on a Harley Electra glide touring bike, and it tried to jump over him. His wife was on the back but came out of it with a slight scrape on her elbow. Both of them were wearing heavy leathers.

I do feel lucky and on the way home I am buying a lottery ticket.


...and I _always_ wear my full leathers no matter how hot it is...

Most of the deer I see are scared away by the noise of my bike. Not that it is typical "Harley loud", but it is still quite noticeable.

My hands are still shaking....

[xr4man]

yup, i always wore my leather and jeans and boots no matter ho hot it was as well. and i had my bike in the summer in florida. oh, and helmet too.

[dr.walrus]

Had a fall off a ladder a few years ago, smashed a vertebrae, remember the whole thing in similar detail:

Nail won't come out. Pull harder. Bastard used rusty nails. Harder? Nope. At least he's holding the ladder, I'll put all my weight on it.

BANG nail is out. My weight drops, I grab the ladder and it starts leaning backwards. At least he's holding it. Look down. WHERE IS HE?!?! Ladder still moving backwards. Weight forwards weight forwards weight forwards. Too late. Ladder is upright. For a second I pause while the ladder stops, totally upright. I throw myself forwards in a last ditch effort, but again too late. The ladder tilts backwards a tiny amount. I look where I will fall. My back will hit a bed made of railway sleepers. I'm 20ft up. I have to jump. Go.

I'm weightless. Bend legs bend legs bend legs... more on one side...smack... OH GOD BENT LEGS TOO MUCH MY COXYX HIT THE FLOOR AAAARGH I CAN'T MOVE AAAAARGH

There's a moral to that one. If I hadn't jumped I might well be in wheelchair, but there's a reason someone should hold a ladder from the bottom...

I am glad you escaped unscathed - it's amazing what self-discipline can teach you in the worst of situations. The reason I tell my story is because I shared the osteo ward after my accident with a guy who hit a blind mountain corner on the wrong side of the road with a truck doing the same - a broken arm, a broke leg, six vertebrae, and four ribs from when the truck had to back off him when he was trapped underneath, unable to breathe, popping his ribs one at a time. Almost certainly saved his life, he was jammed that badly underneath...

Again, I'm pleased you got away without a scratch, and without dropping your bike! That can't be that common a thing to happen...

[lynn's engraving]

glad you're okay, dude.

since we're sharing stories, back when i was a young man, i was out with some buddies drinking a little bit. i had a few, nowhere drunk, but still not wanting to get pulled over. my buddy was trashed and it fell on me to drive his ass home, out in the middle of nowhere, just a few old farmer's houses and cornfields.

i got him back to his home in the dead of night and was on my way back when, of all dumb things, a pig ran out into the middle of the road! clunk. so i kind of freaked and kept driving. i looked in the rearview mirror but didn't see anything, hoping he'd just been clipped and scampered more afraid than hurt into the cornrows. it wasn't like i was going to start banging on doors at 3 in the morning smelling like beer asking people to check their livestock, and since absolutely no one was around, i just hoped for the best.

so, i trundled off home and went to bed, not really thinking about it overmuch. a few daze later a cop came to my door. are you ryan barker? yes. were you in farmersville friday night? uhm, yeah. did you happen to hit a pig?

how did the cop know i hit a pig in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night?

i figured the pig squealed.

*rim shot* btw, this story is most effective when you wait for the person to ask how the cop knew it was you.