Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge My Crash with a Deer

After a trade show in Vegas,a friend of mine and I rented BMWs to make a 3 day tour around the Grand Canyon.

Day 2, beautiful ride, 20 miles from the hotel, 65mph and BAM! a 200lbs Mule Deer just appeared in front of me. Not even time to yell SH!T!!!. I hit him and was on the side of my helmet sliding down the road. I saw the bike, 1200RT flipping end over end down the road with parts and pieces flying everywhere. Didn't even have time to crap my pants!!!

I sat up and realized I was FINE. Minor road rash on right forearm where my sleeve slid up. A couple of small cuts on my left hand and THAT'S IT!!! Deer was dead, my buddy thought I would be dead.

Proper riding equipment was the key... Here are some photos

Two most important things -
You're OK!

And it wasn't your bike!

Thank God you are alright. Seeing Ryan nearly collide with a deer on the Blueridge Parkway made me almost soil myself. I can't even imagine... where do those deer get their licenses from anyhow .... Again, glad to hear you are not badly hurt....all the gear...all the time...Gordon

Glad to hear you're ok but its passing strange that a deer sprang out on me last Sunday but I was riding that slow taking in the scenery I had the time to think what a lovely creature and then it struck me,what if I'd been riding my normal speed,I'm just lucky I guess

hope you skinned the deer... should have a celebration dinner of deer steak and back-strap for you being ok.

take it easy.

thorn

Wow.
Just Wow, those pics say a thousand words.

Beavis,

Glad to hear you're alright man! Wow and whew. I bet you are sore huh?

From the looks of things a broken wing patch should be sewn on by the place you rented the beamer from!

Was this helmet rented also? I see the little round orange sticker on it. Skid lid has a whole new meaning.

Holy Cow! I mean: Holy Deer!

Glad you're okay!

Trust me on this one. It really DOESN'T require a lot of time to crap your pants. Which is another reason not to worry too much about wearing clean undies before leaving (not that there aren't several other great reasons to put on clean knicks...).

Poor little mule deer.

Glad you're okay.

To all you 'independent types' who STILL don't see any good reason to wear a helmet when riding, and prefer the 'wind in your hair,' just take a look at the marks on the skid lid in these pictures and remember that this all happened so fast he 'didn't even have time to crap my pants!!!'

A higher power took you in the palm of his hands...no doubt about it....

Its great that you are amongst the living.

Beavis, glad you're OK. Scary pics.

It's a sign that the deer should be eaten. Clearly, he was sacrificing himself to fill a freezer.

All the best.

Glad your OK and survied the experenice to tell about it.

That helment really did its job.

Glad to hear that you're alright and your gear did its job. Can't imagine what the outcome would have been like if you weren't wearing a helmet.

I was driving my wifes cage the other day and had a deer run in front of me, I had just enough time to slam the brakes to avoid it. Another second later, or if I was going a little faster, I think my wife would be in a rental right now. I'm sure if I would have been on the bike when it happened I would have been cleaning out my pants when I got home.

So how was the Banbi Stew? Glad you are ok!!! I hate hearing stories of guys going down, but I'm always glad to hear when they make it out ok.

Glad you're OK!
Poor little BMW. How'd the rental place like that?
What a testimonial to the benefits of wearing a full face,
leather jacket and pants, boots, and gloves.

You should've gone directly to the nearest lottery agent,
and bought a ticket, cause it was your lucky day!

Happy to hear it wasn't worse('cept for Bambi),
Uncle Charlie

All these stories about deer strikes get me thinking. I leave for my morning work out at the gym every morning at 0415 hours and ride about 22 miles of which 3/4 is on rural two lanes thru pretty much raw Sonoran desert country. Granted most of the deer and javelina dont start to move until somewhat later closer to just before sunrise....but

lately I seem to be really opening her up down the long straights....no traffic at all for the most part that early ...maybe I oughter slow down? Speed and darkness and a sudden appearance ....eWWWWWW.

The road is just so lonely and beckoning though.

Richard
Good to hear you are OK. Those critters can sure appear fast with no time to react.

Sure have noticed alott more dead deer along 691 and 91 in CT. the deer population is out of control here.

With PETA and all the nuts in the woods banging pots, blowing horns and singing their silly songs, the hunters just give up and go home.

10 years ago we had 20 to 30 of our road drivers taking time off in the fall to go deer hunting no one goes anymore just to much hassle.

They changed the law in CT. if you hit a deer you can take it home with you without telling the cops and registaring the thing with the DEP.

Holy crap dude! Glad to hear you made out alright.

John

part of my morning commute is RT 2, I see the remains of a smasshed deer on the hyway about once a month. I average about one close call per year, Last summer I almost hit a freakin turkey.

You are right fewer hunters, milder winters and clueless morons banging pots in the woods (oh they care so much about the helpless animals,to them I say what about people d*ckhead?) has made the CT deer populatain explode. I dont hunt but I think I may start, get them before they get me.

most of those bleeding heart clowns don't realise there is little to no natural predators for the deer anymore so if they don't get thinned they starve anyway , I don't care how many they feed.

Glad you're ok Beavis, It is hard to imagine someone walking away from a drop at 65 mph. Bambi must of slowed you down some. Talking about the growing herd and fewer hunters now add in cwd in the midwest and more hunters are staying home due to the illness from eating sick animals. anyway there are more out there and it's getting worse.

mike

Glad you weren't hurt worse than you were. Thanks for sharing the pics. Good riding gear definitely the key to a happy ending.

Here the biggest problem is those gated communities. The deer seem to have figured out it's safe in those and hide in there.

Its been almost a year since I totaled Bonnie. To those of you who refuse to wear proper gear, go back and look at those pictures. The bike, the helmet, his jacket. Imagine all that damage to your nugget and skin.
I never wore gear around town, only when I went on the road.
Never again, I don't want to wear that hot, vision limiting crap, but I do want to play with my grand children and hug my wife when I get home.
Give it a second thought for the people that love you.
ModelMaker

Rich, Glad to see you made it!! Just last week I was reading about a poor soul who wasn't as fortunate as you in Southern Wisconsin here that had an altercation with a racoon. His safety gear consisted of a pair of sunglasses and a T-shirt.
Scott

Glad you're fine man. Just missed one myself last fall. Went home that night and ordered a full-face helmet.

Well Richard, in the same vein as the old line..."Other than THAT Mrs. Lincoln, who did you like the PLAY?"(one CAN substitute the name of Jackie and Dallas if they're of the mind to somewhat update that one a bit, of course)...
....How'd ya like the Grand Canyon, Dude???

(sorry)

YOU Sir, are one LUCKY(and SMART to wear the proper riding attire) individual!!!

Sorry to hear(and SEE by these gruesome photos) that your trip turned out this way.

Cheers,
Dwight

The trip (until that point) was awesome. Incredible scenery, and cultures on the north side of the canyon.

I gotta say I was really freaked out after the crash... We ended up leaving the other bike in Bryce Canyon for the dealer to pick up along with mine. Rented a car and kept on our course.

I was tempted to wear the helmet in the rental car. I was that concerned for hitting another. All of the locals were telling us all kinds of stories of deer and elk hitting cars and bikes.

Thank You all for your comments and good wishes.

Moose are worse. If you see one coming, duck. Cars don't hit them, they just trip them so they land on the windshield and completely whipe out anything above the belt line, like heads...

Several years ago a friend's cousin was driving on I-15 between Cedar City and St. George UT, when he hit an elk. The elk hit the windshield where it's antler penetrated the glass and impaled the driver. (fatally)

A great testimony for proper equipment.
No doubt what the result would have been without it.

Quote:

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my Hein Gericke a kiss.

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That sounds.....um......................interesting

an elk?!?!! OUCH MOOSE?!?!?! EVEN bigger OUCH!!Saw a moose in Yellowstone chase a dude who just had to get a close pic was funny as heck guy didn't get hurt but if that sucker had caught him he sure would have!!Those things are HUGE!

Not only are they tall, they are heavy! LOTS of damage. If I ever get a Vermont run together, we'll get a group shot by a "Moose" sign.

Thanks, but no Benny. Been up close with them enough up in Maine, when they just stand in the middle of the road, sizing up your car with that look "That's what you brought to the fight, bring it on fool!" Of course, I could be confusing that look with the "DUH, WHAT DO I DO?" look....