Wild deer slams into Mercedes on 12-lane Bangkok highway
A driver speeding along a busy highway in metropolitan Bangkok was astonished when a wild sambar deer came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of his car.
Worapoj Saelim, 55, told police that the deer ran from the frontage road onto the 12-lane Borommaratchachonnani Road, where it smashed into the left side of his Mercedes car.
The accident occurred in front of Mahidol University’s Salaya campus, in the western suburbs of the capital, at 10.30am.
Worapoj insisted that he did not crash into the deer.
Severe damage to the front passenger door of his vehicle indicated that the large creature had sideswiped the Mercedes at speed.
Worapoj told police that he didn’t see the animal coming but felt the impact and watched as the deer was hurled into the air by the force of the collision.
He said he called the police emergency hotline immediately to summon help for the sambar. However, police and rescue officials arrived at the scene to find the deer lying dead on the roadside.
Staff from Mahidol University’s Veterinary Faculty were called to scan for a microchip on the dead sambar but found none. Police estimated the creature weighed 70 kilos and stood 1.2 metres tall.
Officials are now scratching their heads over how the deer could have suddenly appeared on a busy major road in the city’s suburbs. Sambar are the largest deer in Thailand and can grow up to 160cm in height and 220 kilos in weight. Their natural habitat is deep forest.
