One of the many things people like about Minnesota is that we boast a very diverse wildlife population. This includes our large moose population. But while moose are beautiful animals, you should also remember that they are huge ones. A full-grown male moose can weigh up to 1,200 pounds with a five-foot antler span. All of this makes him very dangerous if he darts into the road ahead of you and you hit him.
Should such an unfortunate accident happen, the Insurance Hotline warns that attempting to swerve to avoid the imminent collision represents the worst thing you can do. Why? Because such a violent swerve can easily throw your vehicle into the path of oncoming traffic or cause it to crash through the guardrail and down a ravine or even a mountainside.
Correct procedure
If you unexpectedly encounter a moose on one of your Montana drives, you should do the following instead:
- Slow down if at all possible to minimize the impact.
- Steer to the road’s shoulder, stop, and turn on your blinkers.
- Call 911 immediately on your cellphone to report the accident and ask for emergency medical assistance if needed for yourself and your passengers, plus animal control assistance for the injured moose.
- Never try to assist the moose yourself; injured animals pose a danger to everyone, even the people who try to help them.
- If you can safely exit your vehicle, do so and check its level of damage.
- Should you discover your vehicle is undrivable, call your roadside assistance provider or recall 911 to request a tow truck.
This is general educational information and not intended to provide legal advice.