Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Office of Research & Innovation
Shannon Fiecke
MnDOT Office of Research & Innovation
shannon.fiecke@state.mn.us
651-366-3738
University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies
Arlene Mathison
Director of Digital Information and Library Services
mathi032@umn.edu
612-624-3645
Crossroads 
Vehicle Deer collision on 05.22.2022 (yesterday) – Driving back on Sunday from Duluth on 05.22.2022, we were in the left lane (the fast lane) of I-35 South on a bright sunny afternoon. It was about 2:30 PM or so. Traffic was moving fast at 70 MPH to 75 MPH to 80 MPH. Somewhere between Barnum and Sandstone, I saw a deer on the shoulder looking directly West towards the other side of the southbound lanes. I was in the front passenger seat. The deer looked like a sprinter that was toeing the starting line. Then the deer launched out of the starting blocks and started to accelerate, running as fast as it could. Immediately I told the driver of the vehicle that I was in, “Lookout for the deer!” while pointing at the deer. The driver of the vehicle that I was in hadn’t seen the deer. The driver of the car that I was in then hit the brakes and slowed enough to avoid a collision with the deer. But the driver of what I think was a small pickup truck in the right lane (the slow lane) also didn’t see the deer and that driver hit the deer. I knew that the deer had been hit when I could see in my peripheral vision, the deer being launched forward, flying through the air about 10 feet above the ground on a trajectory directly over the right lane (the slow lane). The deer likely died on the initial impact with that vehicle. Looking in the rear-view mirror, I could see the vehicle that had collided with the deer pulling off onto the shoulder. The driver that hit the deer likely had a dent in the front of his vehicle. I didn’t feel bad for that driver. I felt bad for the deer. I know that my vision is better than the driver of the car that I was a passenger of (because he didn’t see the deer until I told him) and my vision is better than the driver of the vehicle that hit the deer. There aren’t any excuses for the vehicle that hit the deer. If that driver was paying attention and had the correct vision acuity needed to drive at that speed on a bright sunny day, then that driver would have also seen the deer well in advance and would have also braked to avoid the deer. There are those who shouldn’t be driving 75 MPH on the interstate. I always thought that deer crossed roads at dawn and dusk. This collision was in the middle of the day. There needs to be fences to keep deer off of that freeway.