I Hit A Deer.. YIKES!

Warning - if you really like animals, you may not want to read this.

I had a bit of a scary start to my day today. I left from my parents' house bright and early this morning to head to the airport. It was just after 5:30am (I said bright and EARLY), and it was a gorgeous morning. I got to take in another sunrise (I posted photos of Saturday's in the slide show), and I was feeling pretty awake considering the short night and time of day.

I was only a couple miles from home when a baby deer crossed the road in front of me. Aware there may be more, I slowed a little and BAM! I realized what happened just in time to see the deer come down on my windshield and into the ditch.

I think this moment when you realize what is going on, is the moment adrenaline takes over. My composure was incredible as I pulled over off the road, surveyed the damage and called my parents. Afterall, my flight was leaving in 3 hours! I needed to take care of this situation pronto!

Some things to know if you hit a deer (and probably a moose or other large creature):

- It's an accident and must be reported to the police in order to be covered under insurance.

- Write everything down immediately while its fresh in your mind: weather, time, speed, exact details of what happened and where. I believe its common to forget the 'details', even shortly after, so write it down.

- In Ontario, you are not responsible for the dead animal, as I mistakenly thought. It will be taken care of either by Mother Nature or the municipality. Thank goodness.. but this may differ by province.

- Don't panic and try to avoid swerving as you may lose control.

- Again, keep your eyes open. Where there is one, there is usually two!

- It happens to everyone, and it is unavoidable. The police officer told my parents that 5/7 accidents he attended last month were collisions with deer.

Until now, I have never hit anything except a skunk a couple weeks back. The sheer force of the impact and whole situation left me jolted. I was a little paranoid the rest of the way to the airport when I drove by any treed area, and some ridiculous tension has now set into my neck and upper back.

Needless to say, this was not the way I planned to start my travel this week. Luckily, the police officer understood my hasty retreat to the airport (courtesy of my mom's car - she's AWESOME!), and I made my flight with no less than a few minutes to spare for a quick pit stop. Now to enjoy a week in sunny Regina!

Drive safe!