Deer may look soft and friendly. After all, the phrase “doe-eyed”
refers to people who have large, soft eyes, like deer do. But when a deer
gets on the roadway, the result is neither soft nor friendly. Every year
hundreds of people are seriously injured when deer cause wrecks here in
Georgia, and several of those people actually die as a result of the injuries
from car crashes caused by deer. As adeer accident lawyer, I help the
injured people, or the family members of the people who were killed, present
their claims to the insurance companies involved.
When a deer comes into the roadway, a car may swerve suddenly to avoid
hitting the deer. The car may run off the road and either flip or collide
with something beside the road. If the car hits a second vehicle, then
the insurance company of the first car may be required to pay for the
damages, injuries, medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering,
of the people in the second car. If the first car is the only car involved
in the collision, then the uninsured motorist carrier may be responsible
for providing insurance coverage for the people who are injured or killed
while riding in the car.
The problem of deer causing accidents is far more common than you might
expect. The Georgia DOT compiles statistics about car accidents around
Georgia, and has published a report called Deer Related Crash Fatalities.
In the seven years stretching from 2000 to 2006, 31 people were killed
because of crashes caused by deer here in Georgia. Between 3 and 7 people
died every year because deer ran into the roadways and caused car accidents.
As you might expect, deer crashes are relatively more frequent in Georgia’s
rural counties.
Cherokee County: 1 person died in a car accident caused by a deer in Cherokee County.
Coweta County: 1 person died in a deer-related collision in Coweta County.
Dooly County: 1 person died when a deer caused a collision in Dooly County.
Dougherty County: 2 people died when deer caused a car wreck in Dougherty
County, putting Dougherty County into the unenviable position of being
one of the four counties facing the most deaths from car wrecks caused by deer.
Elbert County: Elbert County statistics showed 1 death from a deer crash.
Emanuel County: 1 person died according to the deer crash statistics released
by the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Fulton County: 1 fatality in a deer-caused car collision occurred.
Glascock County: In Glascock County, 1 person died from deer causing collisions.
Greene County: Greene County statistics show that 1 person died in a car
accident caused by a deer.
Gwinnett County: Although the Georgia DOT counts Gwinnett County as being
in the Atlanta metropolitan area, 1 person died in Gwinnett County car
wreck caused by a deer in Gwinnett County.
Hancock County: 1 person died on Hancock County’s roads because
of a car accident caused by deer.
Henry County: Three people died as a result of car crashes caused by deer
in Henry County, more than in any other county in Georgia.
Irwin County: Irwin County turned in statistics showing 1 person was killed
in a deer collision.
In each of the following counties, one person died when deer caused a
car accident:
Jasper County: 1 Berrien County: 1 Burke County: 1 Carroll County: 1 Madison
County: 1 Oconee County: 1 Polk County: 1 Screven County: 1 Talbot County:
1 Union County: 1
Putnam County: In Putnam County, 2 people died from car wrecks caused by
deer, placing Putnam County among the four counties dealing with the most
deaths caused by deer.
Thomas County: Deer killed 2 people in car accidents in Thomas County,
more than all but three other Georgia counties.
Walton County: 1 person died in Walton County as a result of a crash caused
by a deer.