Airborne deer kills Douglasville motorist

By Christian Boone

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

In Georgia it's not uncommon for deer and motorists to collide. But Virginia Solomon's death was anything but ordinary.

Solomon, 62, was driving northbound on Ga. 5 in Douglas County when a deer that had been struck by another car flew across the median and crashed through the windshield of her 2003 Hyundai. Solomon, of Douglasville, was killed instantly. The driver of the other vehicle, 33-year-old Denise Watts, and a 10-year-old passenger were not seriously injured.

"I never, ever thought I'd see an accident like this again," said Douglas County Coroner Randy Daniel, who recalled a similar case 15 years ago. "I was flabbergasted."

Deer crossing the road are a persistent nuisance on Route 5, Daniel said. Statewide there have been about 32,000 reported vehicle-deer collisions from 2007-09, according to the state Department of Transportation. Sixteen people died in those crashes, which tend to occur in outlying suburbs like Douglas County.

"That's where we have the most issues," said Dan McGowan, a wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. "There's a big conflict between people and deer."

Newly developed counties like Douglas still feature thousands of acres of untouched land, such as the area surrounding Ga. 5. According to Daniel, "it's infested with deer."

"No doubt there are some areas where the herd is too high," McGowan told the AJC, though statewide the deer population of one million is at a "healthy" level. Ten years ago there were almost twice as many deer in Georgia; McGowan attributes their decline to liberalized hunting regulations.

"We get some complaints from hunters that they don't see enough deer," he said.

--Staff writers Larry Hartstein and Chelsea Cook contributed to this report.

Reported vehicle-deer collisions in Georgia

2007

10,048 crashes

643 injuries

5 fatalities

2008

11,137 crashes

805 injuries

6 fatalities

2009

10,793 crashes

737 injuries

5 fatalities

Figures courtesy of Georgia Department of Transportation.