Kyle Hamilton counts himself as extremely lucky after he plowed into a deer while riding his motorcycle near Hulett, Wyoming, but managed to keep the bike upright and on the road.
It wasn’t just luck.
Skill and riding experience played a key part, as evidenced by a jaw-clenching video caught by a camera mounted on his friend’s motorcycle. His friend was riding behind Hamilton on June 6 near Devils Tower when a white-tailed deer darted out in front of traffic.
The video shows the brutal impact, which killed the young doe, and Hamilton’s practically unbelievable recovery.
“I’ve had death wobbles on the highway before” after catching gusts of wind when passing semitrucks, said Hamilton, who lives in Franklin, Ohio.
He was referring to the wobbling motion that can send a motorcycle out of control if the rider fails to react decisively.
As it was, his 2023 Harley-Davidson Street Glide was heavily damaged. He doesn’t know if it can be repaired.
His friend’s motorcycle, the one with the camera on it, was clipped by the deer’s sliding carcass and dumped on its side. That motorcycle was totaled, but his friend, who wished to remain anonymous, wasn’t hurt, Hamilton told Cowboy State Daily.
Return Trip To Wyoming
It wasn’t Hamilton’s first time riding in Wyoming.
Last year, the trucking company he works for allowed him and some co-workers to ride their motorcycles from Ohio to a worksite in Wyoming.
He jumped at the chance to return for some more riding here this year while on vacation.
His Street Glide, which he bought new, is the first motorcycle he’s ever owned. With only two years of regular riding under his belt, he’s had ample experience.
“My motorcycle has 34,000 miles on it,” he said. “I’ve gotten in plenty of seat time.”
He and his riding companions hadn’t originally planned to take Wyoming Highway 24 near Hulett and Devils Tower. They diverted in direction after their original route was hit with thunderstorms.
Deer Came Out Of Nowhere
Hamilton said he was in the lead and had just come through a series of curves and into a straightaway when the accident happened.
“It’s a 65 to 70 mph straightaway, but I was going about 55, waiting for the others behind me to come out of the curves and catch up,” he said.
That’s when the deer leaped over an embankment and onto the road, barely missing getting struck by a car before running directly in front of Hamilton.
There wasn’t any time to react, he said.
“I had just enough time to accept it and think, ‘Yeah, this is gonna suck,’” Hamilton said.
As brutal as the impact was, Hamilton said it would have been worse.
Because it was a “straight-on” hit, that made it easier to recover from than a sideways hit would have been, he said.
He’s thankful that the deer was a small, young doe, instead of huge buck.
And he also feels fortunate that the car didn’t strike the deer first, because that likely would have sent the deer flying into Hamilton broadside.
Ready To Come Back To Wyoming
After the wreck, Hamilton pulled over to make sure his friend was OK, and they dragged the deer carcass off the road together.
He stayed with the bikes while his companions went to get a vehicle with a trailer to haul them.
The motorcycle riding part of their trip out West was over, but Hamilton said they still had a great time.
He added that the possibility of an accident is something a rider must accept “every time you throw your leg over a motorcycle.”
The wreck with the deer didn’t dampen his love for riding. He said Monday that his motorcycle is still in the shop, but he hopes that it can be repaired.
“It’s all up to insurance and Harley now,” he said.
Whether he gets his beloved Street Glide back or must replace it with another bike, Hamilton said he can’t wait to come riding in Wyoming again.
“I’d go back there in a heartbeat,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
