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Do People Really Care?

By Ben Meisner

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 03:45 AM

Have people become more insensitive to the world around them? 

I have to believe so when last Saturday, returning from Quesnel, I was following an Alberta truck towing a large travel trailer. I witnessed that truck slam into a deer trying to cross the road. Now you might argue that accidents with wildlife do happen and so I ask you to read on.

Number one, I was following that Alberta truck and trailer, I could see the deer standing near the edge of the road, and I could see the deer had every intention of crossing, but I never saw one single brake light come on. I would think if you saw a deer standing on the side of the highway 97, that rather than hit it you would put your brakes on, there was plenty of time to do just that, but no, they ploughed head on into that deer, the fawn making an escape across the road but the mother being hit in the center of the road.

The deer was in the throws of death, given that its innards were scattered across the highway, but did the Alberta driver  stop?

No.

The deer was in obvious agonizing pain in its last moments of life.  I do hope nothing like this ever happens to a child where the driver  treats that lost life like it was no more than an inconvenient speed bump, not giving a thought of what they had just done.

Now about two or three miles down the road, (when they were out of the area and would not have to witness what they had just done) did they stop to go back?  No sir, just a quick check to see how much damage was done to their truck and then back into the rig and down the road they went. I do hope the rad was at least punctured, that deer deserved at least that.

I also don’t wish any evil on that driver, but I do hope that if he is stranded on the side of the road in Alberta in -40 below with a 100 kilometre wind that the traffic drives merrily by. He deserves at least that.

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.


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Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 03:45 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Comment Posted by: Eagleone on August 12 2009 5:10 AM
Ben, the worst part is a some will brag about it on the radio. For some they think nothing of running down a deer and not stopping. Its one thing to hit an animal, or see a dead animal on the road, but to know that it will continue to get run over again and again doesn't sit well with me. Cats, dogs, foxes, porcupines mostly I'll stop when I see this and pull the carcass off the road for the dignity of the dead animal.

Often just a jake-brake is enough to warn the animal not to try cross, or at least give it advanced warning to avoid the truck. If the ditches are clear, and the animal has an escape route, most deer hits could probably be avoided IMO.
Comment Posted by: diplomat on August 12 2009 7:09 AM
Ben, a couple of years ago we were returning from Quesnel to Prince George during the evening hours and it was just getting a bit dark already.

We were travelling at the speed limit when in the distance a black bear emerged from the bush on the opposite side of the highway to get ready to cross the road in front of us. I also saw that there was something else moving in the brush and I asssumed that it was a bear cub, if not perhaps two. We slowed right down and so did a car approaching in the other direction. Then we stopped as did the other vehicle.

The bear reached the middle of the road, where it kind of stopped.

Then, I saw something out of the corner of my right eye: A woman driving a van had come up behind us and she PASSED US on the right side, using the gravel shoulder to get by, staring angrily at us and going at a pretty good clip!

Fortunately she did not hit the bear which by then was just in front of our car.

Then the cub followed and they both made it safely to the other side.

"Have people become more insensitive to the world around them?"

Far too many obviously have. In this case it probably just a case of being one cup short of a dozen on the cupboard.
Comment Posted by: Maverick on August 12 2009 7:21 AM
Good article Ben, But can you claim to care anymore? Did you call in and report a hit and run, because that is exactly what it is, doesn't matter what they hit, it still needs to be reported. If you were behind him I assume you could have taken his plate and made the call to the RCMP. Or being less sensitive to the world around you did you just shrug your shoulders drive on and start thinking of the article to write on the events that transpired?
Comment Posted by: RRrabbitt on August 12 2009 7:28 AM
Well this story is NO suprise... over my millions of safe miles of travel in BC, I can say that Alberta drives are simply the most outrageous exhibits in Darwin's journals !!

Perhaps this is the result of too many brothers and sisters at the same barn dance.... "prizewinners"... every time.

:-)

V.





Comment Posted by: swingline on August 12 2009 8:38 AM
Woah, so we jumped from a story about hitting a deer to insulting an entire province? I never understood the animosity BCers have for Albertans, and vice versa I'm sure. They're all inbred rednecks, and we're all pot-smoking hippies, right?
Comment Posted by: MrPG on August 12 2009 8:49 AM
There is no excuse for hitting the animal as Ben described, but what do you do if you find yourself in a situation where you've hit a deer (or moose or bear) and it's in pain on the side of the road? I would not be getting out of my car and approaching it that's for sure.

As for reporting it, it would be useless. The cops would put a case number on it and that would be the end of it. The driver could claim they didn't see the deer and hit it, which is likely what happened in this case.
Comment Posted by: metalman on August 12 2009 9:30 AM
I can only conclude that the driver ahead of Ben did not see the deer, or she/he would have slowed down or tried to miss it. Hitting a deer is likely to cause some damage to your average vehicle, why would you want to do that? Unless it is not your vehicle, and you are the type of person who would not care about the vehicle or the deer.
metalman.
Comment Posted by: diplomat on August 12 2009 10:05 AM
People who are oblivious to what's ahead of them on the highway should not be allowed to be in control of a vehicle.

What if it had been a person crossing the road?

It's inexcusable behaviour and they should be ashamed of themselves!

What goes around comes around...
Comment Posted by: Born in BC on August 12 2009 10:40 AM
That is a sad story. But I have often wondered what I would do!?

I dont have a shotgun to shoot the poor gal. I am not convinced that stomping on her head or hitting her with a rock really solves anything.

Does anyone know the solution to this? Running her back over?
Comment Posted by: Loki on August 12 2009 10:53 AM
Assuming that Ben is describing a tractor and trailer, the driver likely did see the deer and with a huge highway bumper on the front would not have sustained much damage.

As to reporting this incident, yes the police need to be notified, but also Fish and wildlife. Fish and wildlife apparently have a list of low income families that are willing to go get road kill. If it is fresh, as in within a couple of hours, and someone had the presence of mind to slit the throat to bleed out the carcass, the meat would be fine.

Diplomat: Most people today are oblivious. Oblivious to their surroundings, oblivious to others, and oblivious to their own responsibilities.
Comment Posted by: kevin1006 on August 12 2009 11:58 AM
Look at the entire planet Ben....

Humans are trash.

All bad that happens to humanity is well deserved.

Earthquakes that kill thousands? Bring 'em on.

Swine Flu? I hope, really, that it kills tens of millions.

God's vengence on humanity is long time coming.
Comment Posted by: Maverick on August 12 2009 12:06 PM
Kevin that is a pretty bleak outlook on life, and although I don't fully agree I don't fully disagree either. In my mind Earthquakes, Swine flu mass flooding ect. are the only good method of population control on this severely over populated planet.
Comment Posted by: Born in BC on August 12 2009 12:50 PM
Fort St John 2004

I saw a dog owner sic his 2 rotweillers on a deer in a field for entertainment. There are always going to be these kinds of people.
Comment Posted by: Loki on August 12 2009 1:03 PM
Dogs chasing wildlife is illegal. Should phoned him in.
Comment Posted by: caranmacil on August 12 2009 1:11 PM
metalman has it right. Nobody hits a deer or other large animal on purpose. I do realize that the story affords an opportunity for people to vent on bad driving, animal cruelty and the general superiority of the average 250 contributor as compared to the population at large. In that vein: let er rip.
Kevin, i hope the first earthquake kills you off. That would be only justice to anyone who actively wishes catastrophy on thousands of innocent folk. Maverick might want to trim his effect on world overpopulation too.
Interesting, dont you think? We can go from crying over a deer to wishing that thousands of people would die. What a mess.
Comment Posted by: Born in BC on August 12 2009 1:13 PM
Here is an appropriate link.

http://www.theprovince.com/Boys+could+charged+after+baby+moose+beaten/1884797/story.html

Comment Posted by: MrPG on August 12 2009 1:15 PM
kevin needs to smoke a little more dope and mellow out.
Comment Posted by: lmorge on August 12 2009 2:16 PM
Could be his load weight with the trailer was too heavy to stop in time.
Comment Posted by: diplomat on August 12 2009 2:53 PM
Imorge, Ben said that the brake lights never came on. Since he was following right behind, even if the brake lights did not work he would have noticed if the driver had braked or at least slowed down.

Many people seem to be oblivious to their surroundings, but quite often not too oblivious to give a one finger salute.

Kevin, your frustration is shared by most people but your God is supposed to be kind and forgiving, not mean and full of wrath and vengeance - those are bad and undesirable human traits.
Comment Posted by: Loki on August 12 2009 3:01 PM
"your God is supposed to be kind and forgiving, not mean and full of wrath and vengeance"

Apparently you are not that familiar with God's story, the bible.
Comment Posted by: diplomat on August 12 2009 4:08 PM
I am very familiar with it. That is why I wrote my comment.
Comment Posted by: Harbinger on August 12 2009 7:01 PM
Swerved to avoid hitting the deer with a large trailer in tow? Run off the road or into oncoming traffic would make the guy feel better about the deer? Stop and do what? Rush back and haul he deer off the road onto the shoulder and hold it's hoof while it expires? That is to say, not having access to a firearm or knife with which to despatch the poor critter sooner? Hmmmm? the circle of life? From the Lion King.