Driver Killed After Colliding With Moose On I-93

This is something I wouldn't exactly say I joke about, but something that is a legitimate reality and concern of mine driving in the North Country. People are always talking about oh you could die doing this and that in the wilds, but I always say, driving up often in the early hours, and home often in the late hours of the day, hitting a moose is probably the most likely way to get killed.

Moose weigh between 600-1500 pounds with males usually weighing over 1,000lbs and full grown females closer to 800lbs. In comparison, deer in this same region of the country usually weight between 150-250lbs. Deer can come up through the windshield if they are tall enough and hit head on, but moose have a higher center of gravity and are even more likely to enter the car cabin since you hit them comparatively low. If a 800lb moose goes through the windshield at highway speeds you are in a lot of trouble. Sadly, there is really no way to avoid it short of driving at about 10mph.

The sad irony, is that I usually worry about this most on the more rural mountain roads that are filled with blind curves and limited line of sight. This fatal accident happened on I-93, which isn't exactly I-95 running down the DELMARVA but it's still an interstate that has fairly straight driving with good line of sight.

From the news information it seems she was doing everything right. Not speeding, was wearing her seatbelt, and was not impaired.

My condolences.

SANBORNTON, N.H. -- A woman was killed Thursday morning when a car collided with a moose on Interstate 93, rolled over and landed on its roof.Police said the car collided with the 800-pound moose at about 6:30 a.m. near exit 22. The collision caused extensive damage to the vehicle.

"The moose had very tall legs, and the front of the vehicle strikes the legs," Trooper Stanley Dombrowski said. "The upper body, where much of the mass is, comes upon the hood of the vehicle."

"They have a very dark body, and by the time your headlights catch up to that, you don't have time to see an eye shine or anything that would give you a clue that there's a moose in the road," said Rob Calvert of Fish and Game.

The driver, Erin Coffey, 31, of Bristol, N.H., was the only one in the car at the time.

Police said the driver was wearing a seat belt, but the collision was too violent, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said speed and driver impairment did not appear to be factors in the collision.

News Video: Car Strikes Moose, Rolls Over, Killing Driver

Driver Killed After Colliding With Moose On I-93 - New Hampshire

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