Man trapped in car with moose that was still alive, its head thrashing around
After two collisions in one night involving moose in the Wadena, Sask., area, officials are warning drivers to be extra careful.
“Just reduce speed, be very vigilant, watch the ditches,” advised Brian Weber, deputy chief with the Wadena Volunteer Fire Department.
The two incidents happened Nov. 29 close to the town, which is in the east-central part of the province.
The first happened at about 6 p.m. CST, when a vehicle hit a moose east of the town. No one in the vehicle was injured, but the moose was killed.
The second crash was more serious.
About 28 kilometres east of the town, a moose calf ran onto Highway 5 and was struck by a car.
The animal went through the car’s windshield, injuring the man driving .
For several minutes, the man was trapped with a moose that was still alive, with its head thrashing around inside the front of the car.
Some passersby managed to get the man out, and the moose died.
Growing problem, officials say
Weber said the man knew he was in moose country and had reduced his speed to 90 kilometres an hour in the minutes before the crash.
“The gentleman was doing everything properly, and stuff still happens,” Weber said.
“It was an older car with a sturdier frame than the newer ones,” he added.
The driver was taken to hospital in Wadena for treatment.
“He’s a very lucky man. Just cuts and bruises, mainly,” Weber said.
The moose hazard has been growing in recent years, with more and more of them moving out of the forests onto the highways, Weber said, adding that potentially fatal crashes can happen with no warning.
“They have really long legs,” he said. “They can move out of a ditch, onto a road in a matter of seconds.”
Source: cbc.ca