Steve was riding shotgun, and he didn't see them until one's head was two or 3 feet in front of the headlight either so they must have been hauling ass across IH10, which was the same impression I got.
We had terrific visibility and were on red-alert for deer the whole way home both from experience and having seen at least a dozen before the accident.
One second all was clear, then Flash Pow Pow!!!
No time to swerve or brake or even yell "Shit!"
Not that I would have swerved much, or braked--that's a sure way to end up in even worse shape, especially when towing a trailer.
I took my foot off the accelerator and coasted down from 60mph to around 40 as I considered what our condition was--alive, no funny noises, the truck and trailer hadn't jumped so we didn't run over anything, still tracking straight, no flat tires, both headlights working...except for the adrenaline dump and the shaking we seemed to be okay.
Took the next exit and pulled into a parking lot with good lighting to check the damage: Amazingly, the deer's face only took out the driver's-side turn signal.
Completely.
The entire plastic housing was wrecked and the bulbs were gone, but the headlight, grill and bumper were fine. Wow.
Unfortunately, when you hit a deer in the head it tends to spin.
The second thump we felt was the pickup's rear door getting a serious case of venison ass.
That door doesn't open anymore, and might have to be replaced.
Here's some of Bambi's butt hairs.
The truck belongs to Sylvia's father, so I spent most of today dreading having to tell (and show) him what I did to his beautiful GMC Texas Edition.
Didn't want to break the news over the phone--felt it was best to look him in the eye and say "I hit a deer on the way home last night. Your truck got fucked-up".
True to Mr. C's awesome nature, his reply was along the lines of:
"Really? I always wanted to hit a deer. You guys are okay? Shit happens. I've got great insurance--don't worry about it. Let's take a look".
I was at my lowest and he let me off the hook so smoothly it was incredible.
Then he served us some killer gorditas!
I'm going to find or make a sticker of a deer silhouette that we can put on his truck just like fighter pilots put on their planes for every enemy kill.
I spent almost my entire life without a father, until I met Mr. C--He's truly the best thing since USAF toast dipped in a vat of melted butter, and I love him dearly.
Stumbling into this family has made me the luckiest guy on earth.
2 comments:
What a great tribute to your father-in-law. My father-in-law, may he rest in peace, was that type of guy. I could never do any wrong in his eyes!
I love the deer sticker idea.
Thanks, Dave.
You've probably heard of him.
Was the beloved MSgt in charge of comm at Security Hill--retired just before you got there.
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