Life Flight transports man to hospital after deer jumps onto truck hood

WASHINGTON COUNTY — A 200-pound buck crossed state Route 18 just north of Diamond Valley Wednesday morning, leaping over one car safely but landing on the hood of a small truck, sending the buck through the windshield and severely injuring the driver, who was subsequently transported to the hospital by Life Flight.

An elderly man was transported to the hospital by Life Flight after a buck jumped onto the hood of his truck on state Route 18 near milepost 14, Washington County, Utah, Dec. 2, 2015 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News
An elderly man was transported to the hospital by Life Flight after a buck jumped onto the hood of his truck on state Route 18 near milepost 14, Washington County, Utah, Dec. 2, 2015 | Photo by Ric Wayman, St. George News

“There was an orange car coming. (The buck) jumped over her car and landed right on the windshield of (the truck),” eyewitness, Trevor Davenport, of Enterprise, said and added:

It was on (the east side) of the road running full speed (and) jumped from that side of the road. I never even saw it on the road. I thought she had hit it. Eight feet in the air and lands right on the hood of that truck.

“The deer had actually jumped over the northbound car,” Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Pastor said, “and landed on the southbound car immediately after.”

The buck landed on the left side of the truck’s hood, Pastor said, and rebounded into the windshield and roof of the truck, causing extensive damage to the structure of the vehicle.

The man, approximately in his 70s, driving the truck sustained a severe laceration on his neck, Pastor said, and was transported by Life Flight to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George to be treated for his injuries.

State Route 18 was completely shut down from 9:58 a.m. to about 10:30 a.m. in order for Life Flight to land its helicopter.

Speed was not a factor in the incident, Pastor said, and all occupants of the vehicles were wearing their seat belts. No other injuries were reported.

What happens to the meat?

When a deer is killed on the highway, 95 percent of the time the meat is unusable, Division of Wildlife Resources spokesman Lynn Chamberlain said.

“Once they’re hit by a car, they’re really not salvageable as far as eating the meat goes,” Chamberlain said. “Almost all of the time, the meat is wasted.”

Chamberlain said the trauma causes an instant release of a hormone that renders the meat unpalatable.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Email: rwayma[email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews | @NewsWayman

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

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8 Comments

  • wilbur December 2, 2015 at 1:12 pm

    People seem to forget, this time of year, deer are out both day and night. Keep your eyes open.

    • ladybugavenger December 2, 2015 at 4:14 pm

      It happens so fast Wilbur…one second it’s clear a millisecond later a deer jumps out in front of you….deer are stupid like that

      • .... December 3, 2015 at 4:58 am

        Well from what I see of the picture of the deer. the deer looks like a tweaker

    • Paula December 2, 2015 at 7:32 pm

      Ok Wilber, this deer came out of no where, I didn’t see him until he was hitting the roof of my car and jumping over my car. He had been spooked or something and was on a dead run. I live in Dammeron so I know the deer are out, they are everywhere and I’m always looking for them but this one I couldn’t have done anything it happened in a second and it was very scary for me so thank you for your concern!!

  • Terry December 2, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    hey wilbur, read the story again, no on forgot anything. jus sayin

  • .... December 3, 2015 at 4:59 am

    Hey Wilbur. Say hi ! to Mr Ed for me !

  • knobe December 3, 2015 at 8:20 am

    Deer trek through my place all the time .
    On many occasions I’ve seen them go from dead still to leaping a fence or bolting away .
    Making it even harder for humans is that their coats blend really well into the landscape when they are standing still .
    A deer landing on my vehicle would be a lot to deal with ,
    the thought of having it happen at 70 is just scary .
    Hope his recovery goes well .

  • NotSoFast December 3, 2015 at 9:47 am

    I’m thinking- For the protection of all SUV’s, Maybe it time for the BLM to close down another road or at lease make it a toll road.

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