Huge White-tailed Buck Jumps Over Rider

[Stichill]

During the 2015 Distinguished Gentleman's Ride in Washington, DC.

[The ferret]

Buck actually missed the guy. He locked up his rear brake and the bike stepped out on him causing him to go down. Ironically to recent discussions...ABS would have prevented that. Of course it may have slowed him down just enough to actually get hit by the deer.

Fate

[Cormanus]

Even if, as a result of endless training and practice and the occasional track day, he had not needed ABS because he could modulate his brakes perfectly, there's a fair chance he would have been snotted by the deer.

The poor bloke was going down. The footage makes it clear that the deer had him in its sights. Watch closely and you can see it pause to line him up properly and then take a couple of short steps to make sure of the target.

The only reason the deer missed was the braking fiasco.

Seriously, though, I'm glad the guy was OK and could ride away.

[use2b]

target fixation

[ClassicVW]

Cormanus, you don't really think the deer tried to get him do you?
It's obvious to me the deer tried to thread his way between the bikes but once he saw he was on a collision course with one bike, tried- and succeeded- to jump over him.

[Nortoon]

That was a big buck.

The deer that I have had dart in front of me have just been does.
Still that would be enough to take me down.
Most surprizing was a black bear.
That would not have been good for me if I had hit it.
Love ABS brakes.

[Flynrider]

Lucky guy! (and lucky deer) The one that got me jumped right into my handle bar.

This leaping behavior is what really worries me. I knew a guy that got peeled right off his bike at 60 mph by a leaping deer. The deer didn't touch the bike, but caught him square in the upper body. He spent about 3 months in the hospital and never was able to ride again.

[Stichill]

Flynrider, you've nailed it. The leaping is terrible for motorcyclists.

If you have enough reaction time, I think the best course is to get into the deepest tuck possible. Hopefully it sails over your head/body. If it's in front of the bike on the road, hopefully the bike hits it square and clean and cuts through it while you are crouched behind the bars and triple tree.

[stateboy]

I responded to a particular motorcycle-deer crash towards a summer evening dusk where the impact crushed the front tire against the motor of the bike as it lay on the asphalt and the rider was sprawled out on the gravel shoulder on side of the road on his back. My mistake was to outrun the ambulance and have to begin first aid. The rider though was actually in good spirits.

We chatted for a few minutes before the ambulance arrived. He said he only felt pain in his back and could move his toes and fingers and no pooling blood was apparent. We agreed to just let him lie still and wait for the folks with the higher level of medical training and backboard to arrive and take over.

After updating dispatch on the condition of the rider and hearing the ambulance sirens getting closer, I shared a little secret with the rider. I told him he was a new daddy. It turns out he his a pregnant doe who died on impact and gave sudden birth to two fawns. Both survived, one with a little road rash, and were taken to a deer rehab farm. He was humored by the news and to my knowledge, made a full recovery.

Sometimes, there's no escaping impact. Hope for some sort of response time and brace for it as Stichill mentioned above. Be safe!

[The ferret]

Big fear out in the country where I live. I've had so many deer encounters, vulture encounters, turkey encounters, squirrel and ground hog encounters and a couple of coyote encounters. If I make it to the end of my riding career without hitting some animal and going down it will be a miracle.