Australian rock band nearly wiped out by a deer and guardrail on Ohio Turnpike
Posted Fri, 2007-10-19 20:33
Two members of an Australian rockband driving between performances in Detroit MI and Brooklyn NY were killed Thursday morning and three others injured on the Ohio Turnpike. Their SUV apparently crashed after the driver - one of those killed - swerved to avoid a deer in the roadway. The driver lost control of the vehicle which hit the rightside guardrail, then bounced back across the roadway overturning and hitting the central concrete median barrier between the two directions of travel.
Those killed were dead when emergency services arrived on the scene. They were wearing seatbelts.
A state highway patrol spokesman told us the leftside of the vehicle took the brunt of the collision impact and was heavily crushed. The driver and leftside passenger behind the driver were those killed.
The highway patrol said they have no independent confirmation that a deer was involved but think it's likely.
"That was the statement of the survivors, which we can't confirm or deny. There were skid marks on the road showing the vehicle suddenly veered to the right," a policeman at the
patrol offices of the Turnpike told us.
There was no evidence of the vehicle hitting the deer. But the police spokesman said that deer are a major hazard on the Turnpike and other roadways, especially at this time of the year, so they think it very likely a deer caused the accident.
"The deer are really running this time of the year. Deer incidents are very common, unfortunately."
The injured were taken to a hospital in Cleveland.
All involved were in their 20s.
The accident occurred at 5:30am about 13km (8mi) west of I-71. It is very close to the Turnpike's head offices in Berea, and just 25km (15mi) from downtown Cleveland. The Turnpike is 3+3 lanes with shoulders both sides of each direction - widened and modernized only a few years ago.
The rock band is named the Electric Jellyfish out of Melbourne, Australia.
Deer hazards
Deer are a hazard on most highways in the east and south of the US and their numbers are increasing due to regrowth of forest and limits on hunting. Various techniques are attempted to control their entry onto roads but deer are difficult to fence out.
The Indiana Toll Road to the immediate west of the Ohio Turnpike has deer warning systems that detect the presence of deer near the roadway and flash warnings to motorists.It is unclear how effective these are. Newly built highways often incorporate elaborate wildlife control features including large overpasses and underpasses for animals with high fencing in between.
There is little enthusiasm for incorporating such features in existing highways because of the cost.
TOLLROADSnews 2007-10-19
Those killed were dead when emergency services arrived on the scene. They were wearing seatbelts.
A state highway patrol spokesman told us the leftside of the vehicle took the brunt of the collision impact and was heavily crushed. The driver and leftside passenger behind the driver were those killed.
The highway patrol said they have no independent confirmation that a deer was involved but think it's likely.
"That was the statement of the survivors, which we can't confirm or deny. There were skid marks on the road showing the vehicle suddenly veered to the right," a policeman at the
patrol offices of the Turnpike told us.There was no evidence of the vehicle hitting the deer. But the police spokesman said that deer are a major hazard on the Turnpike and other roadways, especially at this time of the year, so they think it very likely a deer caused the accident.
"The deer are really running this time of the year. Deer incidents are very common, unfortunately."
The injured were taken to a hospital in Cleveland.
All involved were in their 20s.
The accident occurred at 5:30am about 13km (8mi) west of I-71. It is very close to the Turnpike's head offices in Berea, and just 25km (15mi) from downtown Cleveland. The Turnpike is 3+3 lanes with shoulders both sides of each direction - widened and modernized only a few years ago. The rock band is named the Electric Jellyfish out of Melbourne, Australia.
Deer hazards
Deer are a hazard on most highways in the east and south of the US and their numbers are increasing due to regrowth of forest and limits on hunting. Various techniques are attempted to control their entry onto roads but deer are difficult to fence out.
The Indiana Toll Road to the immediate west of the Ohio Turnpike has deer warning systems that detect the presence of deer near the roadway and flash warnings to motorists.It is unclear how effective these are. Newly built highways often incorporate elaborate wildlife control features including large overpasses and underpasses for animals with high fencing in between.
There is little enthusiasm for incorporating such features in existing highways because of the cost.
TOLLROADSnews 2007-10-19