ST. GEORGE – Police officers put down a deer on the east side of Foremaster Ridge after it collided with a vehicle Wednesday night.
St. George Police responded to on incident on East Riverside Drive south of the intersection with Foremaster Drive around 9:30 p.m. The deer jumped into the roadway and hit the left-front side of a southbound minivan.
The impact broke the glass over the right-side headlight and left a large dent on the side of the minivan by the front driver’s side tire. The deer was injured in the incident, but quickly left the scene and began to go up the east side of Foremaster Ridge.
“The deer was injured and wasn’t able to move very well; internal issues or broke its leg, something to that effect,” St. George Police Sgt. Jeff Bahlmann said.
The police contacted the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources about the situation and were asked to put down the animal, Bahlmann said.
Officers were able to catch up with the injured deer on the side of the hill and put it down per the DWR’s request.
DWR is contacted by police anytime they come upon an incident involving wildlife and like to have a DWR conservation officer assess the situation firsthand, Bahlmann said.
If a conservation officer is unable to reach the location in a timely manner however, the police will fill the DWR agent in on the situation based on their observations and follow the course of action DWR recommends.
“We do what we feel is best for the animal,” Bahlmann said.
The driver and sole occupant of the minivan, an adult female, was uninjured in the incident and was able to drive away from the scene.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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