Mercy Health Love County - News

Letter to Editor from Deer Attack Victim

Posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Nov. 23, 2009

To the Editor,
Marietta Monitor:
 
No, I did not try to pet Bambi, nor did I take him on in my back yard. 
 
We had a deer circling our house. He kept circling and each time he passed the back yard he eyed the swimming pool. I thought maybe he was thirsty and if I put out a pan of water he wouldn’t jump our fence and mess up the pool. 
 
I put a pan of water outside and joined my husband inside the garage. The deer came around the corner into the garage and charged. He knocked me down. I grabbed his antlers and jerked my knees up. He managed to gore my legs in several places before my hero (Phillip, my husband of 51 years) pulled him off of me. 
 
The deer managed to drag my 262-lb. hero down the driveway. I hit the deer with a sledge hammer, but the hammer was so heavy, I did not have good control. I then got the tree loppers and hit the deer with them. The deer had gotten an antler caught under my husband’s belt and, when Phillip was finally able to free himself, he hit the deer in the face with the loppers.
 
The deer backed up and then came after my husband again. He hit the deer again and was able to back up inside the garage, at which point we got the door closed. 
 
I was somewhat excited and could not find the phone number of the Sheriff’s office, so I called 211. They got the Sheriff’s number for me. Even in good times, I speak rapidly, and I had to repeat myself three times to the dispatcher at the Sheriff’s office as she verified my information and the location of our house. 
 
The deputy drove out and checked on us and we asked him to check our neighbor’s welfare, as well. When he returned to our house, the deer was back on the scene and charged the deputy, who shot and killed it.
 
I did not think we needed an ambulance as we had dressed our various wounds. But the deputy had called one and we did go to the Mercy Health/Love County emergency room. There our wounds were treated and stitched by the most highly-skilled professional personnel anywhere.
 
We always knew we have a wonderful hospital, ambulance, and ER in Love County, but we found out first hand about the fabulous empathy of the caring staff in many departments.
 
Our house sits on a fairly well-known road and has a wonderful landmark, the Enville Fire Station, just to the north. In that respect we are luckier than most people.
 
If readers think they don’t need E-911, think again, because strange things do happen, even on a beautiful fall morning in Love County, Oklahoma.
 
Maybe you should give this some serious thought and vote Yes in the election to get instant response when you’re too excited to tell your location. 
 
Yvone McGinnis
Enville