CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There’s a common saying in West Virginia to “watch for deer” while out on the road, and the West Virginia Division of Highways is doing its part to keep highways clear.
DOH Communications Director Brent Walker said it’s important to remind motorists to be alert and aware of animals on the roads. He said on MetroNews “Midday” Monday that the DOH will send crews out to pick up dead animals from the roads.
“We just, every now and again, want to remind the traveling public that how, why, what circumstances we will come and pick up that dead carcass,” Walker said. “We won’t go onto private property; we won’t go into creeks and roadbeds.”
A startling statistic from State Farm Insurance showed that 1 in 40 West Virginians will hit a deer or another animal on the road. That’s in contrast to the national average of 1 in 160.
Walker said it’s not the statistic that the state wants to lead the country in, but it is a fact.
“We have led the nation for years, it seems like,” Walker said. “Our West Virginia drivers will hit deer. I don’t know if it’s the mountain roads; everybody certainly has seen their fair share of deer throughout the state and certainly around the roadway.”
If the dead animals are on the road, Walker said, DOH personnel will come take them away. He added that if the roadkill isn’t blocking the roadway, they may battle the pungent smell.
“We have crews that will pick them up,” Walker said. “If it’s just over a guardrail, we might put some lime on it and let it happen naturally. This is one of the maintenance items that we do.”
Walker said the number to call to report roadkill is the SWAT hotline at 1-833-WVROADS. A dead animal can be reported through email, WVDOTCommunications@wv.gov, online, or by calling the local WVDOH fields office.
“We’ll come out there, it may not be immediately, but we need to know where they are and we’ll take them away,” Walker said.
What to do if the animal struck by a car is still alive? Call 911, Walker said.
“I think that would be the best thing to report, especially if it’s still alive,” he explained.