A video circulating online shows a deer jumping through the windshield of a Rhode Island bus on Monday afternoon.
In a clip obtained by NBC 10 News, the deer can be seen lunging toward the public transit bus as it drives along the road and slamming into its windshield.
The video then shifts another angle inside the bus, where a few unsuspecting passengers are minding their own business.
The deer can be seen flying into the bus, followed by the glass windshield as the animal flies right past one man’s face. The animal can be seen thrashing around as the man climbs up onto his seat to avoid its flailing limbs.
“Yesterday, a deer unexpectedly ran into a RIPTA bus traveling on Warwick Avenue in the City of Warwick,” Christopher Durand, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) interim CEO, said in a statement to NBC 10 News. “I want to commend our RIPTA bus driver, Leocadio Hernandez, for his exemplary response to this unique situation. His exceptional alertness and composure under pressure ensured the safety of all passengers.”
There were six passengers aboard the bus at the time of the incident, Warwick Police Capt. Charles Boisseau told WFLA News. Two passengers were transported to a local hospital after sustaining injuries from the shattered windshield. Another passenger went to the hospital independently following the accident, while the other three were uninjured, Boisseau told the outlet.
He added that the deer died on the bus. (RELATED: Diners Get The Surprise Of Their Lives When Wild Animal Leaps Through Restaurant Window).
Deer-involved collisions are apparently not uncommon in Rhode Island, according to The Providence Journal. The state reported 1,347 deer-vehicle collisions last year, Evan LaCross, a Department of Environmental Management (DEM) spokesman, told the outlet.
