What to know about deer collisions in Northwest Wisconsin so far in 2023

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, there have been 2006 deer-related crashes in Northwest Wisconsin as of October 2023.

123 of those crashes resulted in injury and 4 have resulted in death.

“I would say this time of year is always par for the course where at least half of our estimates that are coming in daily are deer related.” said Amy Wolfe who is the president of the TruBilt Collision Center in Eau Claire.

So far it appears the the number of overall deer collisions has gone down from last year.

In 2022 there were 2,398 deer-related crashes with 122 of them resulting in injury and 1 resulting in death.

Sergeant Jonathan Luck with the Wisconsin State Patrol said if you run into a deer on the road you should slow down. Also, always make sure everyone has their seatbelt on. One other thing is to not swerve if you spot a doe on the road.

“A lot of times you swerve and maybe overcorrect and at times could ultimately make it worse than than what it was just by hitting the deer. So if you have to step on the brakes, don’t swerve and just hit the deer,” said Sgt. Luck.

Wolfe said the damage from deer-related crashes can go deeper than the eye can see.

“What you might be able to see just looking at it may not look all too bad. But once you open the vehicle up and see what’s on the inside, that damage transfer can actually can go quite further than than one might think,” said Wolfe.

She also said the car could spend weeks at the auto shop.

“Parts right now are really expensive, especially on newer vehicles. I would say anything two or three years old or newer parts, costs have gone up. So, I mean, to ballpark it is it’s a very difficult,” said Wolfe.

She recommends to also get your sensors and smart car features checked if you own a newer model of vehicle.

Sgt. Luck said if you get into a deer-related crash, try to get your car off the road. He said to call 911 and stay in the vehicle is help is on the way.

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