COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Authorities tell drivers not to swerve to miss a deer in the roadway because it’s safer to hit the deer than to risk what could happen if you lose control of your vehicle jerking the wheel to avoid the collision with the animal. A Branch County man found out the hard way what happens when you swerve in such a situation.
There was an accident early Sunday on North Fiske Road south of Penn Drive. The crash was in Coldwater Township south of US 12 shortly before 1:00 a.m. Sunday. According to Branch County Central Dispatch, the 28-year old driver, who lives on Fiske Road near where the accident occurred, escaped injury even though his car struck a pole and a tree.
The man was arrested on preliminary charges including probation violation and driving on a suspended license.
A corrections officer at the Branch County Jail said the driver told them he swerved since it was the first time he had ever come upon a deer in the road while behind the wheel. The man’s name wasn’t released pending arraignment today in District Court.
The Coldwater Fire Department and Life-Care Ambulance, along with a Coldwater City Police and a Quincy Village Police officer were all on scene for assistance. The accident was investigated by Michigan State Police.
