DNR: 50K car crashes with deer per year

How many people do you know who've had a close call with a deer while driving?  The Department of Natural Resources says in Georgia, there are about 50,000 traffic accidents annually involving deer.

Cobb County Traffic Court Judge Jason Fincher was recently in an accident involving a deer.  He tells Channel 2 Action News he had just dropped his kids off at school and was driving on John Ward Road when a deer ran into his truck.

"I never saw it, wasn't expecting it.  The next thing I know my windshield was shattered, there was glass in my lap.  It looked like the deer tried to jump over my truck and obviously didn't make it," said Fincher.

The damage to his truck cost $5,000.

He said if he had been going faster, that deer might have been in the cab of my truck.

"I am now very aware of deer.  I was before, but now I'm very aware of them," said Fincher.

When asked what he would do if happened to run into that same deer again.

"I would love to charge that deer with failure to yield.  It didn't yield the right of way of to me, or hit and run," said Fincher.

A tip to drivers:  The DNR says deer are most active at dawn and dusk.