I handle deer wreck lawsuits in Georgia, and I have been blogging about
the fact that deer-related crashes are increasing here in Georgia –
although the rate of deer-caused crashes is decreasing because we simultaneously
are experiencing an increase in the number of vehicles on our roads.
I have been referring to three reports published by the Georgia Department
of Transportation, also known as the GA DOT or the Georgia DOT:“Deer Related Crashes” “Deer Related Crash Injuries”
and “Deer Related Crash Fatalities.” These reports compile data from car accidents that occurred in Georgia
between the years 2000 and 2006.
It will not surprise anyone to hear that these reports show that deer cause
more crashes in rural areas than they do in the Atlanta metro area, the
Augusta metro area, the Columbus metro area, or the Savannah metro area.
Frankly, the real surprise is that deer do cause a surprisingly large
number of wrecks in those more heavily-populated areas.
During the period between 2000 and 2006, the GA DOT reports these statistics
for deer crashes in the ten most populous counties in Georgia:
Henry County: In Henry County, 3595 crashes were caused by deer, the largest
number of any of the ten largest counties in Georgia.
Fulton County: 2399 car accidents were caused by deer in Fulton County,
the third highest number of reported from the ten largest counties.
Gwinnett County: During the reporting period, Gwinnett County saw 2826
caused by deer.
Cherokee County: 1297 car crashes caused by deer were reported in Cherokee County.
Chatham County: Deer precipitated another 827 car wrecks in Chatham County.
Clayton County: Clayton County reported 1257 car accidents caused by deer.
Cobb County: Between 2000 and 2006,
deer caused 1296 car wrecks in Cobb County.
DeKalb County: DeKalb County saw 1656 crashes as a result of deer on roadways.
Muscogee County: In Muscogee County, 1437 car wrecks were caused by deer.
Richmond County: Richmond County drivers reported 1155 deer-related accidents.
Deer also caused deaths from car accidents in four of the ten most populous
counties in Georgia.
Henry County: In just the seven years between 2000 and 2006, three people
were killed in Henry County in car crashes caused by deer.
Fulton County: Two people died in deer-related crashes in Fulton County.
Gwinnett County: One person died as a result of a Gwinnett County car
accident caused by a deer.
Cherokee County: One person died as a result of a Cherokee County crash
caused by a deer.
Fortunately, six of the ten counties did not report any deaths from car
accidents caused by deer:
Chatham County: Fortunately, no one died in deer-related car wrecks in
Chatham County.
Clayton County: Likewise, no one died in Clayton County due to a deer
causing a car accident.
Cobb County: No one died in Cobb County from a wreck caused by a deer.
DeKalb County: Deer caused no crash deaths in DeKalb County.
Muscogee County: No one died in Muscogee County from injuries from a deer-related crash.
Richmond County: Richmond County fortunately avoided any fatalities in
deer-related car crashes.