LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) – It was a close call for a LATS bus driver when a deer came crashing through the front windshield.
Buses have hit deer before but they’ve never had one smash through the window.
It was a typical start to the morning for LATS bus driver Alisha Sutton.
Just two minutes into her morning route, near 2nd Street and Bishop Road a deer smashed through the front window of the bus.
“My first reaction was, did that just happen? and I was talking to it trying to calm him down,” said Sutton.
Sutton was in shock, she said she immediately stopped the bus and opened the door so the deer could get out.
Sutton and the deer were separated by a plexiglass door and she said she knows it could’ve been worse.
“I was okay until I watched the tape myself and saw how close it was to ending up in my lap with me,” said Sutton.
Sutton was not injured and there were no passengers in the bus at the time.
Ryan Landers, general manager for LATS says he was impressed with the way Sutton reacted.
“I love the way and really appreciate the way our driver reacted and how she dealt with the whole situation, I will be perfectly honest I’m not sure if I would have been able to do that,” said Landers.
Landers said he has never seen anything like this in his entire career and will use this close call as a training tool for the future.
“Yeah she handled it perfectly and we’re going to use this video for a number of years for training purposes,” he said.
The Lat’s bus that was damaged in the crash was repaired this morning and is ready to go back on the road.
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