Oh deer, not again. Wildlife involved in three I-5 crashes in Whatcom within 24 hours
Less than 24 hours after a deer on the freeway resulted in a series of crashes that ultimately shut down southbound Interstate 5 for a short period Monday afternoon, a second deer was struck on I-5 within Bellingham city limits Tuesday. A third deer-involved crash on the freeway happened just north of Ferndale the same night.
“I used to work dispatch, and I don’t remember hearing about two deer being hit in 24 hours,” Washington State Patrol Trooper Kelsey Harding told The Bellingham Herald.
Tuesday morning’s crash occurred at 8:56 a.m. Oct. 12 on southbound I-5 south of the Samish Way exit, according to the PulsePoint app. Fortunately, no people were injured in that incident, Harding reported, as the deer was struck by a southbound semi, which continued on after the collision. Troopers responded to remove the carcass from the roadway.
Monday’s crashes involved five cars after a deer was struck at approximately 2:42 p.m. Oct. 11 by a southbound car on I-5, just south of Sunset Drive. The collision with the deer and resulting slowdown played a role in the second crash, as cars maneuvered to avoid the first collision, Harding reported.
One person was taken to St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham with injuries suffered in the crashes, but their injuries were not believed to be particularly serious, Harding said.
The crash resulted in firefighters and police closing southbound I-5 at Sunset Drive for approximately a half-hour so that they could tend to all the cars that were involved.
Noah Freeland told The Herald he struck another deer with his 1991 Honda Civic on northbound I-5 at approximately 11:30 p.m. Monday just past the Portal Way exit.
“I was just going along and it jumped across the road right in front of me,” Freeland said. “I hit the brake and it hit my right fender.”
Freeland said the deer died at the scene of his crash, and he pulled it off the roadway, but one or two other cars likely hit it before he could. He said he was alone in the car and he did not report the crash to police, adding that he got a $4,000 estimate for the damage from the crash.
“It happened so quick, I’m not sure if I hit the brake before or after I hit it,” Freeland said. “I was surprised that it happened, and I still am.”
There are plenty of deer in our area, but three wildlife-involved crashes within 12 miles along I-5 in less than 24 hours seems a bit unusual. How common are they and how often do they occur on the interstate?
Before the recent crashes, there had been four wildlife-involved crashes in Bellingham city limits so far in 2021, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation Crash Data Portal, with all four occurring on Interstate 5 and none resulting in injury.
On the rest of Whatcom County’s roadways, WSDOT reports 18 crashes involving wildlife so far this year, eight of which were on the interstate. Two crashes resulted in injury to people, but neither occurred on I-5.
Looking further back, Bellingham has averaged approximately 22 wildlife-involved crashes per year between 2016 and 2020, 65% of which occurred on I-5. During that same timeframe, 11 total wildlife-involved crashes resulted in injury, including five on I-5.
The rest of Whatcom County, meanwhile has averaged approximately 40 wildlife-involved crashes per year between 2016 and 2020, 29% of which occurred on I-5. The wildlife-involved crashes in the county have resulted in injury 13 times, including twice on I-5, according to WSDOT’s data.
So what do you do if you encounter a deer or some other wildlife, especially if it occurs on the interstate?
“That’s one of those things where there are so many variables that there is no one thing we can tell you do every time,” Harding said. “The best thing is to be paying attention and know what vehicles are around you so you can make the best decision for you. ...
“If you know what is around you and you know you can avoid a deer, you could decide it is best for you to change lanes. But if you have cars around you, that is not an option. Basically, we say make the best decision that causes the least amount of damage and does the least amount of harm.”
For example, if you’re driving at 2 a.m. when you encounter a deer, Harding said the best decision might be to change lanes. But that likely isn’t a good thing to do during rush hour.
“The most important thing, and you’ve heard us say this before, is to make sure you are paying attention and not distracted by your phone or something else within your car so that you can see that deer and know what’s around you,” Harding said.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 12:42 PM.
