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Hitting the deer is just the beginning. We were driving on a semi-wilderness highway when a medium-sized deer staggered up from a deep drainage ditch on the sa
by 8bitsrule 5y ago
Hitting the deer is just the beginning.
We were driving on a semi-wilderness highway when a medium-sized deer staggered up from a deep drainage ditch on the same side of the road, about 50 yards ahead. Managed to slow from 65-70 to 50 mph before hitting the animal, which slid along the highway and into the deep ditch on the other side.
The slowdown helped limit the van's damage to $10,000, but it was undriveable. Even if we somehow removed the hood (bent in two over the unbroken windshield), all the fluid had ran out of the crushed radiator and into the semi-wilderness ditch.
Luckily it was a hot July afternoon, and a truck going the opposite way came along in 15 minutes. The driver put the deer out of its misery. Had it been in the winter, after sundown, it might have taken hours just to be found.
Happened in the 1990s (no mobiles), so we waited for a vehicle heading toward the nearest little town to find a tow -truck. With the van towed to that town (no repair shop), it was another hour before relatives arrived from the bigger town (that tow-truck had a repair shop).
The insurance company paid for the repair, then dropped the policy. I never drove that route after noon again.
- Waterluvian 5y agoRandom curiosity: did the truck driver produce a firearm and shoot the deer or something? Why did the insurer cancel the policy?
- thefifthsetpin 5y agoYour question reminded me of a first responder that I knew. He was in a rural Wisconsin area where collisions with deer were common. He kept a spear in his truck to put deer out of their misery. He preferred using the spear to using his firearm since the use of a firearm came with extra paperwork.
- EamonnMR 5y agoNot to mention potential hearing damage.
- jerkstate 5y agoCall your representative and ask them to support the Hearing Protection Act! https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/95 https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/95 Contrary to movie magic/political posturing, these devices only decrease the report by about 10 decibels, generally just under the hearing damage threshold, but still very loud.
- chmod600 5y agoInteresting. What is a "silencer" then? Is it a different device or the same device used on guns that are less noisy to begin with? Or is the movie silencer a complete fiction?
- Schiendelman 5y agoMovie silencers are a fiction. All a silencer does is let you shoot without actually damaging your hearing. It is still very loud.
- livueta 5y agoIt depends a little on caliber but you're broadly on the right track. Suppressed 22LR is 110-120-ish db, which is just barely hearing safe. Suppressed 556 (typical AR) is 135+db even with top-tier cans (qdc, rc2, saker), which is firmly in eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee territory. Similar story for 762 and friends. With the exception of 22LR, you really do want to be using proper earpro when shooting suppressed. The other aspect of them that's usually less broadly appreciated (and part of why "suppressor" is preferred to "silencer") is that they're also effective at reducing muzzle flash, which is sometimes relevant, especially with short barrels.
- blendergeek 5y agoAs far as I know, a movie silencer is complete fiction.
- 5y ago
- Laremere 5y agoA highschool teacher of mine once told a story: They hit a deer, knocking it down but not killing it. Someone else pulled up, saw the deer was still alive, and called whoever the authority is to get permission to give the deer a merciful end. After getting permission, the deer chose that moment to remember it was ok, jumped up, and ran off into the woods. The person who now had permission to hunt this deer promptly ran off into the woods after it. Never go up to a deer you're not 100% sure is dead. They're big, hurt, and can decide any moment to flee or attack.
- reddog 5y agoIts happened to me too. I've heard of deer coming through the windshield. Deer are the second most deadly animal in North America. Thats because about 100K of them throw themselves into the paths of cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles every year. The most deadly animal is the honey bee. After these two come the usual suspects: snakes, bears, mountain lions, spiders, etc.