Driver survives scary crash with deer

MARINETTE - It started as a routine drive to school last Wednesday for Marinette High School junior Alixx Mayou.

"I didn't know what it was at first because I didn't see it coming," she said. "I looked over and a deer was just chilling in the front seat."

After the buck ran into the front fender of her car and then crashed through her windshield, Alixx made a frantic call to her dad.

"She said, 'he just flew through my window and he's dead.' I couldn't understand who 'he' was," said Jeff Mayou through tears. "I didn't know what I was going to come up on. I ran across the road. You don't know what a relief it was to see deer legs sticking out of the truck."

With the bow hunting season underway and gun season beginning Nov. 15 in Michigan and Nov. 20 in Wisconsin, authorities are warning drivers about potential car-deer crashes.

The DNR says October and November are the peak months for deer-vehicle crashes because of the breeding season.

There has been a steady decrease in reported crashes since 2004, where there were 48,316 deer carcasses removed. That was down to 28,374 in 2009.

• WisDOT Fact Sheet: Motor Vehicle-Deer Crashes in 2009 (.pdf)

Authorities say slowing down driving speeds and anticipating that you will see deer are the best ways to avoid crashes. However, they say if it is unavoidable, it is best to avoid the temptation to swerve.

"If you can't avoid the deer, hit the deer head-on instead of swerving where you're going to put yourself in more danger by possibly hitting a tree or another vehicle," said Dep. Fred Popp of the Marinette Co. Sheriff's Department.

Amazingly, Alixx only suffered minor cuts on her had from the crash. Luckily, the deer was paralyzed on impact and did not kick once inside the vehicle.

"If it wouldn't have been (paralyzed) I don't know she would be here right now," said Alixx's mother, Lisa Mayou, through tears.