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Animal Collisions, Near-Collisions, and Accidents?
Have you ever hit an animal or had close calls? If so please feel free to share what happened.
I know of a couple of guys who were permanently injured (paralyzed) from collisions with animals. Any ideas on how best to minimize the chances of accidents and injuries involving animals on the roads? Freezing at 0:17-0:18 shows how the carbon frame is just being held together by cables. (If anyone can post a good screenshot of this, please do.) |
I've come close to a couple of squirrels...I think the key to missing them is to hold your course and speed and let them figure our how to avoid you. If you swerve I think you might hit 'em.
Also a few kamikaze Cardinals...they like to fly down right in front of you. |
Monkeys, in a National Park in Thailand. Did not hit any, mostly because the park is well signed, so was expecting them. Rounded a blind corner and there they were. |
In my area it’s rabbitts. There are dozens and dozens of them in every neighborhood. Some of them have a death wish or are at least speed junkies. About every other ride one of them will dart out and race me for a ways sometimes right in front of my front wheel. There have been several very close calls, but they always seem to change direction and bail out at the last possible moment. -Matt |
I’ve had vultures and hawks buzz me. I’ve also had the proverbial squirrels trying to leap through my front wheel. The scariest encounter, however, was when a family of deers decided to cross the road as I was bombing down GMR. They were moving slowly, while staring at the crazy human wearing Lycra and screaming like a banshee. It was a truly pucker up moment. :eek: Luckily they moved left and I moved right. I hate to think what would have happened if I had hit one of them at full speed. |
Had a snake take offense to me going behind him on a bike path. It wheeled around and struck, fortunately for me I was moving fast enough or he started late enough to miss.
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Cats, they have the worst timing.
I spooked one so bad that it got run over by a taxi in the opposite direction, poor thing limped away on three legs, still feel guilty about that. |
I had a big fat groundhog charge at me once. I was so shocked and laughing so hard that i dang near hit it.
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More than I can count or remember. Goes with the territory when riding in rural areas.
Between dogs, deer, possums, armadillos, skunks and other critters, it's almost safer riding in traffic. |
I'm seeing a trend here...it's dangerous to ride in Texas.
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I’d much rather take my chances with animals in rural areas than with ANIMALS behind steering wheels in urban areas... Closest encounters for me: 1) black bear in Colorado (not really a close call as he was just a bit ahead of me on a trail). 2) yuuuge kamikaze red squirrels (also in Colorado). They do their kung/fu dance before darting for your front wheel. 3) road crossing bucks (Upstate NY) on my early morning commute; they’re like, everywhere. 4) truck-driving hillbillies (Florida); just when you think you’re safe another one pops up on the road behind you... |
Nothing quite like a face full of pigeon under a freeway bridge. Feathers flew. Now I duck!
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I have hit or hit by:
2 Dogs countless geese. they are super think on the local trail about 6 weeks every year 1 rabbit 2 humans (one on foot, one on bike) and one toyota Been close but not hit: chimpmunks Squirrel pheasant wild turkey deer cows turtles (probably my fault not the turtle) my proudest was when I had a encounter with a bison.....I wasn't anyplace close to hitting it but it scared me a bit. |
Just missed seeing a buddy run over a squirrel on a crazy fast, twisting descent. I came out of a turn behind him and saw the NSFW aftermath... He doesn’t know if he ran it over with his front and rear wheel or just rear wheel. I would’ve guessed he’d have done an endo if it got stuck in his fork, but he gracefully and luckily continued descending completely unimpeded. Phew. |
The day I bought my first Cervelo, I rode through a park and a bird flew into my face. I didn't realize what happened until it was over.
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Originally Posted by Bikesplendor
(Post 20796732)
Have you ever hit an animal or had close calls? If so please feel free to share what happened.
I know of a couple of guys who were permanently injured (paralyzed) from collisions with animals. Any ideas on how best to minimize the chances of accidents and injuries involving animals on the roads? |
Originally Posted by sdmc530
(Post 20797527)
I have hit or hit by:
2 Dogs countless geese. they are super think on the local trail about 6 weeks every year 1 rabbit 2 humans (one on foot, one on bike) and one toyota Been close but not hit: chimpmunks Squirrel pheasant wild turkey deer cows turtles (probably my fault not the turtle) my proudest was when I had a encounter with a bison.....I wasn't anyplace close to hitting it but it scared me a bit. |
Dog, about this time last year. Separated A/C joint, jacked up thumb, bruiseed lung,etc... No avoiding he came right out into my front wheel from hiding.
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Originally Posted by eja_ bottecchia
(Post 20798158)
I have seen wild bison in Catalina Island. Ornery, short tempered and hella fast. yep. We saw a big male on the road about 1/8 mile ahead of us and just waited for him to do his thing. He moved on then we tode past carefully. I didn’t want to mess with hm. |
Originally Posted by jamesdak
(Post 20798164)
Dog, about this time last year. Separated A/C joint, jacked up thumb, bruiseed lung,etc... No avoiding he came right out into my front wheel from hiding.
Not with the bike, but I wiped out a kangaroo once, jumped in front of me. The worst thing was it was at dusk,which is the time kangaroos are most active, and I had decided not to stop as the next motel/petrol station was only 100 km away. |
Originally Posted by avole
(Post 20798471)
How was the dog? That’s a serious question, by the way, I hope yourself you made a full recovery. These things can’t be avoided. Not with the bike, but I wiped out a kangaroo once, jumped in front of me. The worst thing was it was at dusk,which is the time kangaroos are most active, and I had decided not to stop as the next motel/petrol station was only 100 km away. |
Originally Posted by eja_ bottecchia
(Post 20798158)
I have seen wild bison in Catalina Island. Ornery, short tempered and hella fast. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...and/353976002/ |
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Originally Posted by CAT7RDR
(Post 20797314)
Nothing quite like a face full of pigeon under a freeway bridge. Feathers flew. Now I duck!
I have had a couple of close calls with deer and even a coyote. Plenty of small critters as well. Once hit a bird with my spoked. He got flipped to the road and I ran over and killed him. You need to be very wary riding close to these: https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6867d93982.jpg |
Worst close call I ever had: Descending Golden Gate Cyn Rd (near Golden CO).
The road is 19 miles long, and ~6% most of the way. But there is one brief spot that is ~12%. So when you are descending, it drops off sharply so you can't see the road ahead until you drop into the steep section. Now picture doing 35-45mph on rain-slick pavement, when as you come over the lip, there are two elk standing in your lane!:eek: I was just able to nudge the bike over to the centerline and blew past them, praying for them not to move. They calmly stood there as I missed them by 2-3 feet. |
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