My trip to the Indy 500...WARNING! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dieseldaddy · #1 05-27-2002, 10:30 PM

*WARNING*
Do not view this post just after lunch...

My friend invited me to go with him and a couple others to the Indy 500. We live in West Michigan and it is a 6 hour drive to Indy.
Sure! I'll go with you! And so we piled into his 1995 Honda Odessy mini-van and headed south on I-69 towards Indiana.
Two hours into the trip in the middle of NOWHERE with the cruise set to 75mph,
*WHAM! CRACK! THUD!*
...we just hit a deer.
Totally came from the center median and nailed us square in the drivers side front. Not one of us saw it coming. Hit in the front and flew over the top of us. No Air Bags went off...bumper wasn't even hit (again, see the pics). To make a long story short, Van is totalled, and so is the deer! (see the last pic...but I warned you!)
Honda makes a great van. Crumple zones did more than there share this weekend!
Well, we made it to the race with the help of a good Samaritan who stopped just moments after we pulled off the side of the road.

Picture #1:

Picture #2:

Picture #3:

joegolden · #2 05-28-2002, 12:41 AM

WOW! That is so wild! I bet that scared the s*** out of yall! Van handled it well. I bet the bags did not go because it hit so high on the van. I have noticed cars that take a blow above the bumper tend to not deploy the airbags. Glad you guys were allright. Did you take some venison(sp?) home?

later,

Frank X. Morris · #3 05-28-2002, 12:49 AM

Howdy All,
A few years ago my mother was riding in a van that hit a small Elk in Arizona. The head of the Elk broke through the windshield right in front of my mother. Totaled the van & the Elk but no people were hurt.

jcd · #4 05-28-2002, 07:29 AM

Glad you are all OK and got a chance to see the greatest race in the world.

Glad you weren't driving the Mercedes

Yuk......last picture.

Did you have venison burgers for lunch in the infield?

JCD

dieseldaddy · #5 05-28-2002, 09:01 AM

Yes, we are all OK. Not as much as a back ache from any of us. I was very pleasantly surprised by the way the van handled...and yes, I was VERY glad that I was not driving my MB!

No, we did not take any venison.

The first (OK maybe the third) thing out of the drivers mouth was "We GOTTA get to Indy!"

Thinking back, we really should have taken the deer...heck, we already gutted the thing!

Ashman · #6 05-28-2002, 04:07 PM

Pretty graphic pictures there DD.

I haven't lost my lunch, I've lost my appetite.

Alon

mikemover · #7 05-28-2002, 07:54 PM

Wow, that's pretty gross!

I'm glad you were unhurt, and still made it to the race!

Mike

#8 05-28-2002, 09:37 PM

Glad your ok!
Can't you get a ticket in some states for hitting a dear?

mikemover · #9 05-29-2002, 12:45 AM

Hi Dan,

I lived in Daytona Beach for a number of years, and the band I had at the time used to play in Key West a lot. There's a couple of islands on the way there where they have those little "Key Deer", which are basically "dwarf" deer...Apparently they only exist there, and are a rare and protected species of course, and they take the speed limits on that little strecth of Hwy. 1 VERY seriously!!! I think it was 30mph in the daytime, 20mph at night, the MEAN it!

I don't know if you ever drive down there, it's a VERY beautiful place to visit, but DON'T SPEED!

Mike

aTOMic · #10 05-29-2002, 07:47 PM

Huh...huh... intestines.... cool!! <>

Thanks for the reminder:

WATCH FOR DEER!!

they are STUPID and they will run in front of you EVEN IF THEY SEE YOU so GET ON THE BRAKES when you see one even if you think it's just frolicking in the meadow - I have seen them apparently commit suicide by making a 90 degree turn into the path of traffic -

Glad you are OK.

-Tom

P.S. I am PROUD

to live in a state which passed legislation last year that allows its citizens to carry home roadkill without calling the Wildlife Resources Agency as long as YOU is the one who done KILT it!!! (SERIOUSLY!!) your tax dollars at work

#11 05-29-2002, 08:27 PM

Mike,
Thanks I will rember that if I'm ever down there.

jamesnj · #12 05-29-2002, 10:33 PM

MIKEMOVER I know the little dwarf deer you're talking about and unfortunately they do get hit and guys don't stop. There's lots of other protected animals that get hit too. I've done a lot of bicycling in the southeast and learned that certain species of turtles and snakes are also protected and if a guy hits one he is supposed to try and get it off the road or report it. There are rescue centers for turtles that have been hit, even though I was amazed they could survive getting hit, and a number of wildlife agencies and universities track numbers of protected animals

Benzman500 I heard you could get a ticket for leaving the deer just laying in the road(considered a road obstruction), not necessarily for hitting it

The thing that I learned from guys on this board when the topic came up before is most guys are not going to brake, lift off the throttle or try and miss anything that won't damage their car(so that probably includes dwarf deer) even if there's no traffic, so when you cycle down there you end up seeing a lot of roadkill that could have easily been missed.

DIESELDADDY you had a scary experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't it the law the you have to get deer off the road and contact the police if possible? From the look of that deer the meat had probably gotten contaminated from the internal injuries. Glad you werent hurt.

link www.naplesnews.com/01/04/florida/d619486a.htm

dieseldaddy · #13 05-30-2002, 07:24 AM

Jamesnj:
Yes, we did report it immediately to the police, but more for insurance reasons.
After the deer flew up over the car it rolled into the center median so we did not have to do it (according to the wonderful woman who stopped and helped us) It was 10:30ish and pitch black.

Had the deer been in the road still, the police would have called the department of animal services (or something like that) and they would have come out and disposed of it. They do it for cats, dogs, skunks all the way up to big ole deer.

One thing is that a large chunk of the van had dropped off and apparantly another car DID hit that while the police were helping us. My friend did not get a ticket for that either...