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Hit a deer...

2K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  r6camaro 
#1 ·
About two weeks ago I hit a deer coming home late one night. In 10 years of riding I have gone down 3 times. The last two were from deer. It's really scary and disheartening for me because I love to ride so much and this leaves me feeling so helpless in the fact that no matter how safe I am or skilled/unskilled the deer can just take you out. Two deer jumped out of the ditch and pretty much ran me over doing highway speeds. It killed the deer and busted me up pretty good. My foot is broken, shoulder blade is in pieces, rotater cup injury in my shoulder and my wrist is broken. I had blood pockets on both lungs and had to spend a couple days in the hospital with the fear that my lungs could collapse. They are saying 4-6 months for my wrist to heal because the bone that is broken doesn't get good blood supply and its where my thumb muscles attach. It goes without saying that I am lucky to be alive. I do not feel lucky though, I feel helpless because there was nothing I could have done to avoid it. I just want to ride. I rode almost every day and living in the south, I was able to ride year around.

All things considering my bike came out of this pretty good with mostly cosmetic damage. The worst is that it broke the front fairing stay so I'm going to have to figure out some way to rig up a headlight and something to hold the instrument cluster. I don't have the money to fix it back like factory, I just want to make it rideable again. They tell me it will be a long time before I ride again but my mind won't accept that. I'm laid up and all I can think about is wanting to fix the bike so I can ride again when I'm able. Do any of you have a suggestion on how to rig up a cheap headlight and how to attach the instruments? I would love to streetfighter it out with dirt bike handlebars and all to take some of the strain off my wrist and back but that will have to come much later if ever. The bike is a 2001 R6, money is real tight. I don't have a job and can't work due to injuries.

Be careful out there everyone. Even at night with no one around, slow down, be mindful that things you cannot see or control could pop up in front of you at any moment.
 
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#2 ·
#4 ·
I had one of these similar headlights mounted on a 600r. It was actually pretty stable and I drilled small holes on the top to mount the cluster with safety wire. It came out looking decent but the light is NOT bright at all.

 
#7 ·
Wishing you a swift recovery dude. I got t-boned by a dear a few years back. Deep muscle bruises in my right thigh and torqued my knee. I didn't go down but it scared the hell out of me for sure. Now when it's dark and I'm on my way to work, I'll pull over and tuck in behind a car so they take the deer, not me. Took a while to get over the mental block, but it sure made me more cautious. Good luck with the street fighter mods man, and again, i hope you have a speedy recovery.
 
#9 ·
#12 ·
I've been lucky enough to avoid every deer that has jumped in front of me, but man I swear they strike a level of fear in me on the road I only felt wondering around Skid row in LA or being on the wrong side of town in a blue shirt. :laugh
 
#16 ·
In 32 years of riding, with a fair amount of night riding, I've been fortunate to have avoided a deer collision. I have several friends who have not been so lucky.
This time of the year is especially bad, being that the rut is on, and horny deer are running around looking for some luvin'.
Get well soon.
 
#19 ·
Thanks for the support everyone. Having something taken from you and having your way of life change from something you had no control over is a terrible feeling. It really bothers me that I can't say I won't let it happen again. It seems like it would be easier if I had messed up and could tell myself I would make sure to never let that happen again.
 
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