Motorcycle-deer crashes piling up in Minnesota, Wisconsin
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It's one thing when a deer jumps out in front of a car, but it's a much more dangerous situation when a deer, or moose, runs across the road in front of a motorcycle.
Three such incident have happened in Minnesota in the last 48 hours, one on Friday when a couple in their 60s hit a moose that jumped in front of them near International Falls.
On Saturday, there were two motorcycle-deer collisions, both happening minutes apart in different parts of the state.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the first occurred at 9:12 p.m. on Hwy. 63 in Wabasha County, near Gillford Township, when a duo on a motorcycle slowed but couldn't completely avoid hitting a deer that jumped out of the ditch.
The passenger on the motorcycle was taken to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester with non-life threatening injuries.
The second happened at 9:14 p.m. when a 33-year-old man from Zimmerman hit a deer while traveling northbound on Hwy. 169 near Baldwin Township in Sherburne County. The man suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital in Princeton.
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These Minnesota crashes come just days after a man in central Wisconsin suffered critical injuries when he was thrown from his motorcycle in an accident involving a deer.
Another Wisconsin man died four days after his motorcycle hit a deer in northwest Wisconsin on May 14.
According to Minnesota DPS statistics, collisions with deer caused 27 deaths between 2012 and 2016, as well as a further 137 serious injuries.
The DPS says deer collisions are particularly dangerous for motorcyclists, who accounted for 14 of 15 deaths between 2013-15.
There were two other motorcycle crashes in Minnesota on Saturday, neither of which involved deer.
And a 21-year-old motorcyclist died in a crash near Rochester on Friday night.
Memorial Day marks the beginning of the 100 deadliest days on Minnesota roads.
