Monday, October 16, 2017

Close encounters of the Deer Kind

So this summer I was camping in BC.  On my way home I hit a deer. 

I was riding north on the Brazeau Dam Road (Hwy 621 - Sunchild Hwy) at about 10:30 in the morning when 2 deer came out of the ditch in front of me.  One turned around and went back into the ditch, while the other decided to dart out in front of me.  I swerved and just about made it.  I hit its head with my front wheel, causing its body to slam against the right side of the bike and my leg, then causing it to hit my right pannier and bounce off into the ditch.

I managed to keep the bike upright and pull over to the side of the road.  My leg HURT a ton and I had no idea if it was broken or not.  Some guy was behind me and pulled over to offer assistance.  I was able to get off the bike and test my leg/ankle - it wasn't broken!  We then looked at the bike to see what damage was done.

Broken front fender

Dented radiator, broken fairing and bracket

Dented pannier
Close-up of dented pannier

Inside view of dented pannier.

Bent the locking clasp

Bent the pannier mounting bracket


I took the bike into the shop and they told me that the rear sub-frame is also bent.  This is the part that holds the seat and attaches to the actual frame.

At this point I am still waiting to hear from the insurance company to see if they will cover the needed repairs, or if they will want to write off the bike.

On one hand I am hoping they will repair the bike as I really like it.  On the other hand, if they write it off, I will have a few $$$ to put towards a brand new bike.  Guess I wait and see.

I have been told by a number of people that I am SO lucky to be able to tell this story at all, never mind walking away from it with no injuries.  I am glad it worked out the way it did...could have been so much worse!

No comments: