Video from a Howell Township police vehicle shows what the department likened to a “scene from a cheap comedy” on Wednesday – a deer jumping into a woman’s car.
In the incident, which occurred Sept. 18 at about 8 p.m., Patrolman Nicholas Austin was responding to a call for service while traveling on Oak Glen Road, approximately one mile west of Rt. 547, when he saw a deer cross the roadway from right-to-left several hundred feet in front of him.
Austin, according to Detective Sgt. Christian Antunez, wasn’t sure if the vehicle, a 2008 GMC Envoy, travelling in front of him struck the deer until the vehicle pulled over to the side of the road. Austin also pulled over to provide assistance to the driver, Ellen Sager, 43 of Howell.
While doing so, the same deer that Sager had just struck ran back across the roadway left-to-right and attempted to jump into Sager’s vehicle as she opened the door. Sager was still in the driver’s seat with the door open as the deer attempted to climb over her and into the vehicle.
“In what appears to be a scene from a cheap comedy, Sager physically struggles with the rather large deer and has to kick the deer out of her vehicle and quickly close the door to keep it out,” said Antunez. “Austin was nearly as surprised as Sager and the two shared a laugh after the incident.”
Sager reported a minor injury to her knee as a result of the “scuffle.” Unfortunately, Antunez said, the deer succumbed to its injuries as a result of the impact with the vehicle.
