Drivers in two motor vehicles were lucky to escape with their lives following two separate collisions with moose in Bristol over the weekend.
The accidents resulted in the deaths of two moose cows. Both collisions occurred within 24 hours of each other, at sites within 25 feet of each other on Rt. 130, near Hanley’s Market.
According to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday night, Richard Warring, 57, of Bristol was operating a 2003 Chevrolet van southbound when he encountered a moose in the roadway around 8:47 p.m. Waring was unable to avoid the animal and struck it. Damage to his van is estimated at $5000.
Maine Animal Damage Control Agent Mike Witte estimated the deceased cow weighed approximately 300 lbs. The moose was given to Waring.
According to Witte, there were four moose all within 100 hundred yards of the scene Saturday.
“They were obviously in the rut,” Witte said. “We had a cow and bull on one side (of the road) and a cow and bull on the other side. Big bulls, big: One has got a beautiful rack on him.”
On Sunday night, around 7:12 p.m., James Bartlett, 49, of Bristol was operating a 1989 Volvo sedan southbound on Rt. 130 when a moose entered the roadway from the west. Bartlett was unable to avoid the approximately 600 lbs. cow and struck it.
The accident report filed by LCSO Dep. Matthew Day noted that three more moose were observed in the nearby woods
“We had one on the road and two in the woods including the big bull,” said Bristol Fire Chief Ron Pendleton.
Bartlett’s Volvo sustained an estimated $6000 damage.
Pendleton and Witte both urged area drivers to exercise extreme caution. At this time of the year, moose are in rutting season and they tend to be very active during the overnight hours.
They can be difficult to spot by drivers because moose are so tall their eyes do not reflect headlights back to the driver the way deer often do, Pendleton said.
“Slow down on some of these dark stretches of the road,” Witte said. “Leave your high beams on… Actually it is not as much the size, it’s the height. Because they are so tall they come right up over the hood.”
“There are still three more moose right in that area,” Pendleton said. “The big bull came out and looked at us several times after the cow had been hit. He kept milling around. There were two other ones on the opposite side of the road.”
Although both drivers escaped serous injury, Pendleton said both could have easily been killed. In fact, considering Bartlett’s car, Pendleton said it is a miracle anybody survived.
“Both of these accidents could have been really serious,” Pendleton said, “I couldn’t believe the damage on that car last night (Sunday). It was a Volvo. Thank God it was a solidly built car.”
