MELCHER DALLAS – A motorcyclist laid in a ditch for for more than seven hours after he hit a deer. Someone found him, still alive the morning after the crash.
It happened on Highway G76 near Melcher Dallas around midnight Wednesday night.
37-year-old John Tyler, of Knoxville hit a deer while on his motorcycle,, splitting the deer in half. He was instantly thrown off his motorcycle and into a ditch. It took seven hours for him to be rescued.
“Luckily somebody on a piece of farm machinery, so they sat up a little higher, noticed him laying in the ditch and he raised his hand just at the right time,” said Marion County Deputy Reed Kious.
John Tyler is lucky to be alive after spending so much time there in the ditch in the early morning hours.
“Death or serious injury from exposure is always a concern and left alone long enough anybody can succumb to injuries or exposure.”
The speed limit on there on Highway G76 is 55 mph. But deer or animals can come on the roadway in an instant with no time to react. There are ways you can avoid these accidents, starting with not speeding.
“Drive for the conditions, what I mean for that is if it’s rainy, foggy, limited visibility in any way, please go lower than the posted speed limit. Just because it’s posted doesn’t mean you can’t go slower than that. Be aware of the area, especially that time in the evening, early morning hours when animals are moving, just be aware that one could come out of the ditch,” said Kious.
Tyler was taken to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines with injuries all over his body.
