In a very Pennsylvanian tale, police pulled over a car in York County, Pennsylvania, last week for suspected DUI only to find three seemingly buzzed occupants and one slightly fazed deer.
And yes reader, there is video:
The police noticed the deer while speaking to the driver, according to ABC27. I’m sure it was hard to miss, as it’s a whole freakin’ deer in a hatchback.
The driver, a 19-year-old woman, told police that they hit the deer earlier that evening ,and they thought it was dead, according to KTXS 12. There’s no word on if the car looked like it had hit a deer or not, so I’m slightly suspicious of this tale. Honestly, my first thought was “Was this for TikTok?” But maybe partying with a deer is just how rural Pennsylvania kids get down. The driver told police she and her two passengers scooped up the seemingly dead animal and threw it into the cargo area of her hatchback. No reason was given, and they didn’t say what their plans were for the deer. I’m going to go ahead and guess “good eatin’” was at least part of it.
The trio in the car soon realized the deer was not dead at all but kept on driving, as you do. During the stop, an unidentified 21-year-old man who was riding in the back with his deer buddy, carried a now very-alert deer across the street like a groom carrying his bride across the threshold. It will probably not surprise you that alcohol is suspected as a factor in this caper. The 19-year-old driver was taken into custody pending a DUI investigation, and police suspect at least the 21-year-old was under the influence as well.
The white-tail deer is the most common deer in Pennsylvania and can grow to almost 200 pounds, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. That’s a big beast to be storing in your hatchback. Pennsylvania happens to be number one in the nation for wild animal automotive strikes, with “166,404 estimated auto insurance claims filed for the entire industry,” according to a study by State Farm Insurance. Most of the strikes recorded are naturally deer strikes, as drivers don’t tend to need to report every squirrel, rabbit or skunk they crush. Hitting a deer, though, is usually going at least involve some paperwork in the best case scenario. In the worst case, someone might not make it out alive. Deer strikes cause 185 deaths in 2019, according to the Institute of Highway Safety.