THP: Deer causes fatal Obion Co. motorcycle accident
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OBION COUNTY, Tenn. — Drivers around West Tennessee need to be on the lookout for deer this time of year, experts say. A motorcyclist lost his life Sunday night in Obion County after colliding with a deer. The accident occurred around 8 p.m. on Mount Pelia Road in Rives. The Tennessee Highway Patrol was called to investigate and said speed was not a factor. Sherry Ellison is a nurse who lives on Mount Pelia Road. The accident happened right in front of her home, and she said she was one of the first on scene. “There was no radial pulse at all, and I could tell that he wasn’t breathing,” Ellison said. The THP said the 35-year-old man was traveling westbound when he struck a deer that was standing in the road. “The deer was lying in our front yard, and the young man that was in the road was quite a distance from the deer,” Ellison told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News. Daniel Stanfield works for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “Usually this time of year on out, it’s not uncommon to get a call every day or every other day about an injured deer that’s been hit on the side of the road,” Stanfield said. His best advice for drivers is to be alert and aware of your surroundings, especially on a motorcycle. He said if you see a deer in the road, slow down and do not swerve. “If you see one deer, start slowing down, because it’s usually that second or third deer that crosses over and gets hit,” Stanfield said. He said the most populated areas are fields, and West Tennessee has a lot of agriculture. State Farm released new data Monday saying Tennessee drivers are 1.2 percent less likely to hit a deer in the next 12 months than they were this time last year.
