COAL TOWNSHIP - Four people escaped serious injury Saturday morning after the vehicle in which they were riding was hit by a deer that is thought to have been spooked by hunters.
John Reidinger, of Trevorton, said he was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee east toward Shamokin on Route 225 (Trevorton Road) near Odd Fellows Cemetery when the deer leaped from a stone retaining wall, behind which is a wooded area. The deer hit the Jeep, shattering the windshield and door windows on both the driver and passenger sides. Following the incident, Reidinger was able to drive the vehicle to a nearby parking lot. The deer was killed.
Reidinger, his two children and a female companion were not injured, but were treated at the scene for minor cuts and scrapes.
"We were lucky," Reidinger said while inspecting the scene.
He said the deer seemed to "come out of nowhere."
Patrolman Chris Lapatski of Coal Township Police Department investigated the incident. AREA Ambulance and Coal Township firefighters, chiefs and fire police also responded.