HASTINGS, Minn. — A man is dead after being struck while trying to pull a deer off the roadway in Dakota County Wednesday.
Dakota County Sheriff Joe Leko says the fatal incident happened on County Road 46 near General Sieben Drive in Marshan Township shortly after 6:30 a.m. The driver, a 69-year-old man from Hastings, reportedly hit a deer while driving west, pulled over onto the shoulder and walked out to pull the animal off County 46.
Leko says another motorist stopped to assist and was standing in the middle of the road with the man who hit the deer when that person looked to see if there was any traffic coming. The sheriff told KARE 11 a vehicle was nearly on top of them, and the Samaritan jumped back to get out of the way. The oncoming motorist missed the Samaritan by about 2 feet but struck and killed the 69-year-old.
"We nearly had a double fatality," Leko shared.
Ironically, Dakota County deputies were not far from the accident scene, returning to Hastings after writing a deer tag for a motorist who hit a deer so they could keep the animal for meat. Squads arrived at the fatal crash scene within one minute of the 911 call and attempted lifesaving measures, but the victim did not survive.
The sheriff's office says the driver of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian was uninjured and is cooperating with the investigation.
This is the third incident of this type to claim a life in recent weeks. A 75-year-old man was struck and killed by two vehicles as he tried to pull a deer off the road near Barron, Wisconsin on Nov. 19.
In the other fatal incident, a 60-year-old woman hit a deer while driving on I-94 near Brockton Lane in Dayton early on Oct. 28. She stopped in the middle lane of the freeway, and her vehicle was struck by another motorist traveling at highway speeds.
What should you do?
Sheriff Leko says whether it's a deer hit, a fender bender or some other road incident, the most important thing is to call 911 immediately so a squad car/tow truck can provide cover for a disabled driver. Flashing lights can alert oncoming motorists to a hazardous situation so they can move over.
The second thing - and Leko was adamant about this - is to stay inside your vehicle and turn on the emergency flashers. In this case, the victim was likely just trying to remove the deer so other drivers didn't hit it, swerve or lose control.
For drivers coming up on a scene, the sheriff asks them to slow down and be alert for hazards. On roads that have multiple lanes, move over to provide a buffer both for the person involved in the incident and emergency responders.
