A Monday morning drive turned into a tragedy, leaving one woman dead and another seriously injured and hospitalized.
Jessie Alton Barnes of Graceville, Florida, was driving his 2018 Dodge Ram down a state highway in FL at 6:30 AM on Monday (February 17) when he hit a deer attempting to cross the road. News Channel 8 out of Tampa reports the impact sent the deer flying through the air.
The airborne deer then crashed through the windshield of another vehicle. That car, a 2010 Ford Escape, was driven by Katherine Mills Comerford of Sneeds, FL.
According to News Channel 8, the deer reportedly went through Comerford’s windshield, hitting both her and her 81-year-old passenger, Edna Morgan Griffin of Chipley, FL. The deer then exited Comerford’s car through the back window.
A Florida woman died Monday after an airborne deer that had been struck by a truck smashed through the vehicle in which she was riding. https://t.co/w3OrqpnvDs
— WGNO-TV (ABC) New Orleans (@WGNOtv) February 19, 2020
Barnes, the man driving the truck that struck the deer, was not injured. The two passengers in his vehicle were also unharmed.
However, Comerford and Griffin weren’t as fortunate. Comerford was seriously injured after the deer crashed through her windshield, and was taken to the hospital to receive treatment. Sadly, Griffin passed away as a result of her injuries.
Incidents such as these are not unheard of. In November 2017, a Michigan woman was killed when a deer struck by another driver crashed through her windshield. You can watch a news report about that past incident in the video below.
Our prayers go out to Griffin’s family during this sad time. We’ll also be praying for Comerford’s quick and complete recovery following the accident.