Slow down for deer in the early morning to avoid tragedy
I write this in the hope that people will pay more attention while they are driving to work in the early morning down Shawnigan Lake Road, particularly in the area of Recreation Road, when there are some very dangerous stretches of extremely limited vision. The suggested speed through this area is 30km per hour but no one seems to pay any attention to that posted signage.
This morning at about 5:30 a.m. I heard a screech of tires and when I went to look out the window I saw nothing. My wife then walked out to look and came back in shock. I guess someone in a hurry to get to work had been speeding through an area where there is no visibility due to a hump in the road and hit a momma deer that has lived around our property since she was born and we have enjoyed her young ones over the years. She was lying in the north lane with her front legs broken, but I could see the tire tracks heading south. I approached her and she made a feeble attempt to run into our driveway where she collapsed. I sat with her and comforted her by stroking her head and talking to her as she took her final breaths, stretched in convulsion, and gave up the ghost.
She has two new babies somewhere around here that will never taste their mother’s milk again and I hope they show themselves before they also die. Please slow down and pay attention, especially knowing that this is the season of new births. A very sad day indeed.
Ian Purcell
Shawnigan Lake