# A deer hit me



## Pittsburgh Proud

Yes, I didn't hit the deer it hit me.
I'm 40 years old, driving since I was 16, drive fire trucks, ambulances and in my younger days would blue light like crazy and never had an accident. So yesterday at 4:50 am I was traveling down the road when a deer came out of no here and hit me in the side of the van (the double doors) making a small softball size dent and I must have spun him around and then he put a dent 8 to 12 inches square in the rear quarter panel just in front of the rear wheel.
Man it made a thud and rocked the van. I just didn't need this, the paperwork you have to fill out for such a silly thing....

Just my luck.


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## Grady_emt

I had a bird fly infront of me oneday driving on the interstate and smashed into the window right in the wiper blades.  It cracked the windshield, and the greatest thing was there were feathers and everything in the wipers and it just smeared all over the windshield when I tried to clear it off.

But yes, as we all know the paperwork and pee-cup are obnoxious for an unavoidable cracked windshield.


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## Pittsburgh Proud

I've had turkey's buzz me but never hit one... Man what an ugly bird they are, well at least up close. They look pretty good cooked and on the table though.


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## BossyCow

I took out a bunny once. Not a wild rabbit, but a cute, fuzzy, white bunny. I was running code to a respiratory call on a frequent flier that never called without reason. Bunny ran out into the road, I slowed, bunny cleared the road then turned right back and ran under the wheels. Bunny wanted to die.


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## LucidResq

When I was like 12 I was riding a bike downhill at a pretty good speed. A bird flew into my forehead, broke it's neck and died. 

I love birds.  It was definitely the strangest sensation ever... just riding my bike and all of a sudden a ball of feathers hit me in the forehead.


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## Outbac1

My partner hit a skunk of the way to a call last fall. Had to take the truck out of service for the whole weekend and park it out back to let the stink blow off.  It was down right nasty.


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## midway199

When I was a kid, my dad and I were on this long strech of road in Florida near the panhandle.  A vulture flew up from the side of the road and hit our windshield.  My dad, who ran a route through the area every week thought the bird was going to clear the van, but not this time.  I was engrossed in my comic book when something dark filled peripheral vision.  I looked up to a loud _SPLOP!!_ and saw the bird splayed across the wind shield from one end to the other.  Sure got my attention!

MS


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## reaper

We hit a dog on the way to a call. It ran out in front of us. We continued to the call. When we arrived at the call there was a crowd of people there. They were all pointing at the ambulance and we didn't know why.

When we got out, we turned to see that the entire front and pass. side of the unit was covered in blood!

That doesn't look very good!!!!


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## LucidResq

reaper said:


> We hit a dog on the way to a call. It ran out in front of us. We continued to the call. When we arrived at the call there was a crowd of people there. They were all pointing at the ambulance and we didn't know why.
> 
> When we got out, we turned to see that the entire front and pass. side of the unit was covered in blood!
> 
> That doesn't look very good!!!!



Oh my god. Now that's bad PR.


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## EMT19053

The president of our service was driving home from a transfer at about 02:30 when she hit a black angus cow that was standing in the middle of the road. There were two emt's in the front and one sleeping on the cot. Fortunateley nobody was hurt. The rig however sustained a sizeable amount of damage but not enough to total it out.


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## *ofLife

I've been hearing more and more about deer running into cars. It happened to a friend of mine a year or two ago. Totaled a brand new audi.

I hit a bunny once, but thats all that i can think of. Last summer, I was riding along with a couple of friends and there was a deer at the top of a hill we crested. My buddy's reaction was dodge it...dumb idea, but it did us more good in the end. Lucky SOB.


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## scottmcleod

reaper said:


> We hit a dog on the way to a call. It ran out in front of us. We continued to the call. When we arrived at the call there was a crowd of people there. They were all pointing at the ambulance and we didn't know why.
> 
> When we got out, we turned to see that the entire front and pass. side of the unit was covered in blood!
> 
> That doesn't look very good!!!!



On an ambulance... no, but on a police car... sure helps sort out the drunken fighters!

I was on a call last year late october with a group of 4-5 "frequent drunks" at our campus pub. One decided tonight was a good night to start some stuff with the security guards, so we flagged down an officer to come for a little visit...

Car turns the corner, pulls up in front of the pub, rear quarter panel COVERED in blood, with smear marks.

Needless to say, the troublemakers became as docile as teddybears...


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## Rattletrap

I took out two deer on one call. First I head dead on and it exploded. the second i just caught it's snout on the air vent and ripped it off. There was deer fur and guts all over the place. Even in the light bar! Both died.


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## medic417

Pittsburgh Proud said:


> Yes, I didn't hit the deer it hit me.
> I'm 40 years old, driving since I was 16, drive fire trucks, ambulances and in my younger days would blue light like crazy and never had an accident. So yesterday at 4:50 am I was traveling down the road when a deer came out of no here and hit me in the side of the van (the double doors) making a small softball size dent and I must have spun him around and then he put a dent 8 to 12 inches square in the rear quarter panel just in front of the rear wheel.
> Man it made a thud and rocked the van. I just didn't need this, the paperwork you have to fill out for such a silly thing....
> 
> Just my luck.



Actually it is quite common.  Deer run into cars all the time.  I have seen it many times.  Be glad it ran into you, less damage than if you ran into it.


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## Pittsburgh Proud

medic417 said:


> Actually it is quite common.  Deer run into cars all the time.  I have seen it many times.  Be glad it ran into you, less damage than if you ran into it.



Agreed but I thought that was the craziest thing. never had one just charge out of no where and blast into me like that. :wacko:


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## Jon

Did you find the deer? Does the FD have deer steak for the bar-b-que this weekend?

One of our rigs hit a deer that ran out in front of them about 2 years ago... TRASHED the rig... the grille was almost gone, and there was fur in the radiator and cracks in the hood. The rig needed lots of work.

Around here, we have lots of deer vs. vehicle incidents... we are in a suburban area that has been slowly building into what little wildlife habitat is left, and the deer are overpopulated.

Valley Forge National Park is close by, and the Park Service says the amount of deer on the park property is 14 TIMES the number reccomended by the State to allow for preservation of wooded land. Every time they try to do a controlled deer kill, though, the neighbors complain and the animal-rights groups show up, playing the "Bambi" card.

My parents are one of the area printers... they have several customers who have "deer control" businesses.


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## MayEMT

*poor animals *

my partner took out a cute little bunny the other day....i love bunnies


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## Tincanfireman

Responded to a reported MVC out on the Interstate recently; as we pulled up to the scene there was about a 40 yard deer-slick on the pavement. Mom reported that she was driving when all of a sudden every window on the right side of the van imploded onto the kids and her sleeping hubby. She was very upset, rattling on at very high speed about drive-bys, snipers in the woods, shotguns, hunters, etc.  She apparently never saw the now well-deceased 10 point that had apparently ran out of the woods and kamikazied himself into the side of the van.  We walked her back down the road and showed her the carnage, then found a bunch of deer hair in the van and stuck into the side doors.  Took her awhile to calm down while we did all the no-transport paperwork in the back of the ambulance, but she finally began to accept our explanations.  Her son continued to be somewhat upset though: when we explained to them how lucky they were to not have hit the deer at 70 MPH, he was really bummed that he'd missed out on a chance to ride in the helo to the hospital!  Seems dad had been in a bad MVC a few years earlier and had been airlifted, and Junior had always been hoping for the same "opportunity"...  .


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## medic417

Tincanfireman said:


> he was really bummed that he'd missed out on a chance to ride in the helo to the hospital!  Seems dad had been in a bad MVC a few years earlier and had been airlifted, and Junior had always been hoping for the same "opportunity"...  .



Well it is important for young people to have goals.


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## Jon

medic417 said:


> Well it is important for young people to have goals.


So Wrong... yet so funny!  

B)B)B)B)B)


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## johnrsemt

*company policy*

Our company policy is to HIT the animal, don't try to miss it.

   Had a crew in a 3 day old ambulance with less than 1,000 miles on it dodge a squirrel and do $8,000 damage to the truck.

   another crew missed a deer:  hit a fence, took 2 tow trucks to get it out of the ditch; both crew members went to the hospital to be checked out; but the deer is ok.


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## princess

LucidResq said:


> When I was like 12 I was riding a bike downhill at a pretty good speed. A bird flew into my forehead, broke it's neck and died.
> 
> I love birds.  It was definitely the strangest sensation ever... just riding my bike and all of a sudden a ball of feathers hit me in the forehead.



Sorry Lucid, but I've got this picture in my head and I can't stop laughing!  :blush:  Seriously, I'm sitting at my bar... all alone, and laughing my fool head off!  I know it wasn't very funny for you though!  BTW, your avatar is very pretty


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## johnrsemt

*hit one Monday morning*

approx 50 north of our base heading to pick up a 10 year to go to childrens hospital for Dialysis  25 mil south of ECF hit a suicidal buck.  dented bumper in 2 places, broke grill etc.   
   when officer showed to do report, helped him drag deer off the road;  which was kind of funny;  It then looked like he pulled us over for something.

   took the deer about 10 min to die:   thought I was going to have to finish him off.    at end of shift, we were trying to figure out how much Fentanyl and Versed that it would take to put him down:  management didn't think it was very funny; but it helped me laugh about it.


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## mikie

Recently after leaving the ER,  I saw another district's ambulance, and on its chrome lower bumper (Type II, I believe) it had an image.

Kinda made me laugh 

*I couldn't find the exact bumper sticker they had, so I just "photoshoped" it.


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## BossyCow

I heard the other night that if you want to make sure that the insurance company believes there really was a deer, you need to take a picture of the streak of deer excrement on the side of the vehicle.


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## LucidResq

princess said:


> Sorry Lucid, but I've got this picture in my head and I can't stop laughing!  :blush:  Seriously, I'm sitting at my bar... all alone, and laughing my fool head off!  I know it wasn't very funny for you though!  BTW, your avatar is very pretty



Haha I'm glad you got a laugh off of it. It was (and still is) extremely funny for me, just kinda bittersweet because it was a cute little bird. Thanks for the props on my pic. The one in your signature is pretty badass.


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## Tincanfireman

BossyCow said:


> you need to take a picture of the streak of deer excrement on the side of the vehicle.


 
If I ever hit a deer at speed, they won't have to look farther than my seat cushion if they want to see excrement...


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## mikie

my post didn't show my attached image, so i'll try again:






*again-this was on the front lower bumper of another district's ambulance (huge ambulance!)


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## TheAfterAffect

mikie333 said:


> my post didn't show my attached image, so i'll try again:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *again-this was on the front lower bumper of another district's ambulance (huge ambulance!)




haha, My Group Commanders truck for the Civil Air Patrol has stencils of 3 Deer, 2 Owls, 4 Squirrels and 2 Birds on it. How many animals have committed suicide as he puts it by running under his Ford F-350


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## synchromedic

On the way to a call my partner got a bird on the antenna on the rig. We pulled up on scene with half of a bird stuck on the pole.


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## enjoynz

I haven't hit anything in the ambulance yet!^_^
But our ambulance did have a nice 'Duck' size dent in the bonnet,
that my boss hit!

Years ago, my first time working with the ambulance service, we were 
covering the horse races (events duty), following the riders around the track. 
The community had just saved up and bought us a new Ambulance (it was only a couple of months old).
At the end of a race, one of the horses tried taking on the rails throwing the jockey over them and landing him behind some parked cars. 
The horse fell and had a vet and others rush to it,while we got out of the ambulance and went to check on the jockey.
When we had finished treating him, we went back to the ambulance that was now sporting a large dent in the bonnet from the horse's hoof! 
The horse had got a fright, got to it's feet and reared up onto the brand new ambulance!:sad:

Cheers Enjoynz


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## paramedix

Our company introduced a "Silent Warning Whistle" today. Not quite sure what to make of it yet. Its a small black piece of plastic with two small holes in it.

Apparently we have to stick it right under our light bars or in the grill and it makes a sound "not heard by humans" and animals stay out of your way. It generates the sound as the wind passes through it.

I dont really bite this, but hey if the the boss from fleet says it goes up it goes up...lol


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## mikie

paramedix said:


> Our company introduced a "Silent Warning Whistle" today. Not quite sure what to make of it yet. Its a small black piece of plastic with two small holes in it.
> 
> Apparently we have to stick it right under our light bars or in the grill and it makes a sound "not heard by humans" and animals stay out of your way. It generates the sound as the wind passes through it.
> l



This is just a guess, but it probably puts out a sound frequency above 20Khz -our maximum frequency HUMANS can hear.  Dogs, cats and other animals range goes up way higher, and probably sends the deer the other way because it's just an obnoxious sound.


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## Pittsburgh Proud

paramedix said:


> Our company introduced a "Silent Warning Whistle" today. Not quite sure what to make of it yet. Its a small black piece of plastic with two small holes in it.
> 
> Apparently we have to stick it right under our light bars or in the grill and it makes a sound "not heard by humans" and animals stay out of your way. It generates the sound as the wind passes through it.
> 
> I dont really bite this, but hey if the the boss from fleet says it goes up it goes up...lol





I've seen those little black "whistlers" around here also. I have trouble with something I can't hear? How do we know it works and that we didn't just buy a widget or something like that.


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## midway199

Animals senses are different and sometimes more sensitive than human counterparts.  How do birds see their prey from so high up?  How do bats catch their prey in the dark?

With the whistlers, the sound does not scare them off the road (IIRC).  It just makes them aware that something "strange" is in the area, so they look up and (hopefully) see you coming.  And just how do we know this?  Field testing.

I suspect that doppler effect plays a part in the process as well.  This may be alarming to the deer.  But that's just conjecture on my part!


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## mikie

I did a quick google search:

http://www.sevendeals.com/p-3407-deer-whistle.aspx

(the deer whistle)


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## Jon

Deer whistles are common around here... They are supposed to make the deer STOP and look at you... then you get to dodge them. They work... but keep on forgetting to put them on my current car.


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## Operator 37

*Venison Dinner*

This event is part of the history of a volly corps where I was once a member and I personally know the crew involved.  It happened in the 60's when they were still using the old style Caddy Ambulance. On the way to an MVA they struck a deer and it was killed. The crew did not stop but radioed the police dispatcher about the collision. The patient was delivered to the ER and the crew returned to the site of the collision with the deer. The police officer took all the info and was about to notify the highway department for removal of the carcass when the driver asked if it would be alright if he could have it. The officer said yes and the crew loaded it into the back of the caddy and sped off down the road, to a butcher. They had venison for many months after that.


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## aussieemt1980

On the way to a rescue job I got a galah (a native aussie bird) stuck in the light bar of the rescue truck. Wedged in between the roof and the bar.


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## NomexMedic

Jon said:


> Valley Forge National Park is close by, and the Park Service says the amount of deer on the park property is 14 TIMES the number reccomended by the State to allow for preservation of wooded land. Every time they try to do a controlled deer kill, though, the neighbors complain and the animal-rights groups show up, playing the "Bambi" card.
> 
> My parents are one of the area printers... they have several customers who have "deer control" businesses.


Sounds like they need to have a controlled hippie kill.  If we don't control the population, disease will.  I'd prefer them not be diseased.

Early one morning we were paged for a one vehicle MVC.  Upon arrival found a totaled mustang with caved in convertible top.  Driver DOA.  He was on his way home and unbeknowst to him, Old McDonald's cows had gotten out of the fence and onto the 4-lane highway.  He didn't see them due to fog and ended up plowing into the cows.  

Sad that he died, but it was absolutely hilarious that he hit the cow so hard and clean that cow:censored::censored::censored::censored: was shot in a straight line for 50 yards ahead of the car.


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## Medic9

Jon said:


> Did you find the deer? Does the FD have deer steak for the bar-b-que this weekend?
> 
> One of our rigs hit a deer that ran out in front of them about 2 years ago... TRASHED the rig... the grille was almost gone, and there was fur in the radiator and cracks in the hood. The rig needed lots of work.
> 
> Around here, we have lots of deer vs. vehicle incidents... we are in a suburban area that has been slowly building into what little wildlife habitat is left, and the deer are overpopulated.
> 
> Valley Forge National Park is close by, and the Park Service says the amount of deer on the park property is 14 TIMES the number reccomended by the State to allow for preservation of wooded land. Every time they try to do a controlled deer kill, though, the neighbors complain and the animal-rights groups show up, playing the "Bambi" card.
> 
> My parents are one of the area printers... they have several customers who have "deer control" businesses.




I was born and raised in Erie and lived in Lawrence Co for two years and that stretch of I-80 was always a mess with road kill. The deer would be huge from eating in the Amish corn fields near by. 
I am all for population control of wildlife. I personally couldn't hunt but if there are no natural preditors then humans have to do it. I also believe that you must eat what you take.


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## mycrofft

*IN Neb a state troper was hit by a whitetail on his Harley..*

..on the way on, in uniform. He was banged up a little but the doe had a broken leg. He drew his sidearm and finished it.
Talk about a long session of "Who shot John?"!!. He was almost fired for discharging his sidearm in a manner against policy, maybe illegally. He got off, if I recall, on the technicality most everyone wanted to appear, that he was not yet on duty, the sidearm was his private sidearm (within accepted parameters), and that from then on he should not wear his uniform on the way to work, especially if he has to off Bambi's mom in front of other motorists.
Other than humans, deer are the most hazardous mammals to people in the U.S. due to MVA's.
Ask  me about my angus adventure sometime...


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## mdkemt

I am lucky so far...Only one in this service who hasn't killed a dog yet!  I hope it doesn't happen:unsure:

MDKEMT


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## 68blackbird

Did you have the ambulance in the antlers look!:wacko:


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## volff21

people here always do damage to the trucks,guess who gets the blame,its nice the truth always comes out


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## ILemt

A few months ago I was taking a cardiac case to the local Hospital. Running Lights (but not my siren, as it was a deserted rural highway at 0230) Im travelling in excess of 70 mph.

Next thing i know I see a deer head in profile as in goes under the front tires.
You can imagine the impact, my partner jumping up between the seats yelling "What the hell just happened" and the patient screaming.

I reply "deer" and begin to bring the unit to a stop when "Thud" and deer number two broadsides the driver side immediately behind my seat where the box and cab meet. 

I hop out and give the truck the once over for flat tires or busted headlights.
The patient is critical and the rig is still operable, so I floor the s.o.b. back onto the pavement while my partner radios a report to county dispatch.

Upon arrival at the hospital we are met by three county deputies, two other ambulance crews and all the E.R. techs. The damage was PURELY cosmetic.
Actually I take that back, all we did was hose off the blood bomb on the front bumper and the blood streak from the drivers door back to the rear tires.
No dents, no dinges... My partner was actually furious that something that bad happened to him with nothing to claim. The deputies immediately left to fight over a seasons supply of venison.


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## ILemt

I will also offer this tidbit... while attending college in Southern Illinois, I once happened across a vollie rig with antlers mounted on the front of the box between the cab roof and the lightbar.


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## mikeylikesit

ILemt said:


> I will also offer this tidbit... while attending college in Southern Illinois, I once happened across a vollie rig with antlers mounted on the front of the box between the cab roof and the lightbar.


 i always thought it would be pretty funny to see one of those Texas Longhorns on the front or the ambulance.


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## gradygirl

*Boy hit by deer*

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/20/gainer.boy.deer.news12


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## MidniteMedic

I hit a canada goose once, it was on the road running to get airborne and i was motoring along and he wad just at hood height and went for a tumble over the car. I stopped got out looked over at him and he took off. This time he actually got more than 3 feet off the ground.


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## aussieemt1980

I also once hit an Eastern Grey kangaroo on the way out to a job one morning, smashed the front end to pieces. The insurance company argued about fixing it, saying that I must have been drunk myself to have hit a 7 foot kangaroo that jumped out in front of me, and because I did not exchange details about the accident (a requirement if you hit another VEHICLE not animal) so they were not willing to pay for it. I managed to successfully argue that the kangaroo must have been drunk to have been in the middle of the road, and the animal hit my vehicle and ran (hopped) away from the scene before I could exchange details with it. The insurance company eventually fixed it, and we got bullbars on the 4wd's after that.


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## texmat3

BossyCow said:


> I took out a bunny once. Not a wild rabbit, but a cute, fuzzy, white bunny. I was running code to a respiratory call on a frequent flier that never called without reason. Bunny ran out into the road, I slowed, bunny cleared the road then turned right back and ran under the wheels. Bunny wanted to die.



http://www.jimmyr.com/blog/Bunny_Suicide_Comic_Pics_226_2007.php

that bunny probably did want to die.  This site is about bunny suicides.


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## Elliott

texmat3 said:


> http://www.jimmyr.com/blog/Bunny_Suicide_Comic_Pics_226_2007.php
> 
> that bunny probably did want to die.  This site is about bunny suicides.



Ok, that is the best site I have ever seen!


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## only1jomo

BossyCow said:


> I took out a bunny once. Not a wild rabbit, but a cute, fuzzy, white bunny. I was running code to a respiratory call on a frequent flier that never called without reason. Bunny ran out into the road, I slowed, bunny cleared the road then turned right back and ran under the wheels. Bunny wanted to die.



Definately a suicidal bunny. I had a 3 legged turtle once that commited suicide. It's a tragic thing when an animal takes it's own life. :lol:


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## housert

I haven't hit anything with the squad yet but that is because the one guy on my crew does a full out sprint to get into the drivers seat!  I have managed to hit a bird with the radio antenna of my car! It was partially impaled so after looking like one of those little balls things that you put on your antenna, it fell off and I was left with a couple dozen feathers attached to it.  Only I could hit a bird with a 2 cm. thick antenna!


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## housert

I just thought of something else.  My husband's brother is a FF/Medic and was riding in the squad when the chief's son hit a deer.  The kicker is that my husband, who works for an auto body shop, was the one who ended up having to fix the damage since the company he works for had the lowest estimate on the job!  His older brother always finds a way to cause him problems!


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## mbcwgrl

I heard about a call ran not too long ago where a woman hit a buck and the buck was still alive even after going through the windshield. The woman was trapped between the buck and the seat and couldnt get out... Could you imagine the 911 call??? When the police officers arrived they had to shoot the buck in order to get the woman out who had numerous cuts and bruises from the hooves of the buck. The buck was given to one of the local FF / Hunter for dinner!


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## BossyCow

mbcwgrl said:


> I heard about a call ran not too long ago where a woman hit a buck and the buck was still alive even after going through the windshield. The woman was trapped between the buck and the seat and couldnt get out... Could you imagine the 911 call??? When the police officers arrived they had to shoot the buck in order to get the woman out who had numerous cuts and bruises from the hooves of the buck. The buck was given to one of the local FF / Hunter for dinner!



We had a similar incident with a cougar. Car hit cougar, didn't kill it. Cougar too damaged to run off, to alive for the people in the car to get out of the car. DFW guy had to come kill the cougar.


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## flhtci01

mbcwgrl said:


> I heard about a call ran not too long ago where a woman hit a buck and the buck was still alive even after going through the windshield. The woman was trapped between the buck and the seat and couldnt get out... Could you imagine the 911 call??? When the police officers arrived they had to shoot the buck in order to get the woman out who had numerous cuts and bruises from the hooves of the buck. The buck was given to one of the local FF / Hunter for dinner!



She was lucky.  A couple of years ago, a crew had to respond to a deer that was hit by one vehicle into the path of another oncoming vehicle.  The deer went through the windshield and killed the driver.  I think it was an antler in the chest.


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## sabbymedic

Been there done that!!! I was working part time about 9 years ago 3:30 in the morning and on a priority call. Turned the corner and out of the corner of my left eye saw a deer starting to charge but it was too late I could not stop. The deer hit the Ambulance and pushed us sideways. I made sure my partner was ok and we kept going.

Scared the daylights out of me though.


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## mycrofft

*Deer strike back*

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20081030/Car.Deer.Crashes/


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## tydek07

So far I have been lucky and have not hit anything with the ambulance.  Just hope it stays that way haha


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