Hannah Carroll, Campus Carrier Staff Writer

A participant of the Berry Half Marathon on March 9 was hit by a deer while running, sustaining minor injuries.

The runner, an unidentified male, ran past Hermann Circle at about 10:30 a.m. when he was struck by a deer running across the road, according to Major Assistant Chief Ryan Chesley.

The collision forced the man to fall on the pavement and caused minor injuries, including an abrasion to his head.

Ambulances were already on site for the event, one stationed on Mountain Campus and another on Main Campus. An EMT was able to respond quickly to the incident, according to Assistant Vice President of Campus Security and Emergency Management Response Gary Will, who heard about the occurrence over the radio.

Sergeant of Berry Police Jeff Smith was the first officer at the scene after observers notified him of the accident while he was directing traffic in Hermann Circle, according to Smith.

“Somebody came running up to me and said ‘somebody got hit by a deer,’” Smith said. “An EMT was already attending to him, so I called to have an ambulance to come up there and they came from behind Hermann Hall and attended to him.”

The man was removed from the path of the race and placed into an ambulance where he was transported to Redmond Hospital for further evaluations and possible stitches, according to Will.

The victim was responded to and transported within seven minutes, with no further interference to the ongoing race, according to Smith.

No other individuals were injured during the incident.

An incident report was not completed or filed by the Berry College Police Department, according to Chesley.