2005 MAY 30: TRINIDAD TO PRITCHETT SUPERCELLS AND TORNADOES

This was a memorable day because I struck a large deer while going about fifty miles per hour.  She leaped from a deep ditch on the right and I didn't see her until she was less than a foot from my bumper.  The collision killed her on impact, a confirmation of this coming from my friend Jason Persoff who was right behind me and who moonlights as an internist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.  All the chasers around me that day were great, checking on me first, then helping me evaluate the condition of my 4Runner (see below).  We chased multiple storms as they moved off the mountains near Trinidad, each progressively more impressive until we saw a cone tornado about 0235z near Pritchett, CO.

Here's an excerpt from an email I sent to the chaser lists the next day:

 I want to thank the chasers in our caravan who helped me after I struck a deer yesterday on State Road 160 in southeast Colorado. It is a rotten thing that an animal like that dies for no better reason than a guy racing around looking at clouds. But she leaped out of a deep ditch into the road and landed right in front of me, so there was no avoiding the crash. I pulled over and other chasers hurried to help clear debris from around the wheel well and evaluate the drivability of my car after making sure I was okay.  The best news was that the deer definitely died immediately, confirmed by Jason Persoff who was behind me.

I want to thank Jason, Tony Laubach, Steve Hodanish, Dan Robinson, Bill Coyle, Jeff Gammons, Chris Collura, Kersten McClung, Scott Blair, Mark Sefried, Kurt Hulst, and others. Yes it was a long caravan but in a moment of potential danger it was good to be among friends.



Photos courtesy of Tony Laubach and Verne Carlson.

ALL IMAGES © COPYRIGHT 2005 AMOS MAGLIOCCO / NO UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION