You’d think hitting a deer would be the worst part of this man’s night. It was likely an accident and certainly left some damage at the site of the collision.
But things took a startling turn when he went to unload the large animal from the back of the pickup truck and found this instead.
What’s Up With This Deer?
In a viral video with more than 21.5 million views, content creator Ryleigh Bentley (@ryleigh.bentley07) shared phone camera footage of her husband’s wild encounter with a buck he’d hit on the road.
“Bro I swear he was dead,” the text overlay on the video reads.
The footage shows what looks like a very alive deer lying in the truck bed. That normally wouldn’t be the strangest thing in the world, but the thing is, just moments earlier, he thought the animal was fully dead.
“Welp,” Bentley captioned the video, adding the hashtag #jumpscared.
The Full Story
According to their GoFundMe campaign (set up to help with truck repair costs), Bentley’s husband, lovingly known as Tommy Boy, is a Marine and Purple Heart veteran.
“Thinking the deer was gone, he loaded it into the bed of his truck and watched it the entire way home on camera—the buck didn’t move an inch,” she explained.
But when he got home, the truck’s dashboard lit up with a “check tire” warning. When he stepped out to investigate, he was shocked to see the deer awake.
“He was in for the shock of a lifetime: the buck was sitting up, locking eyes with him! In a wild twist, the deer jumped out of the truck and ran off into the night,” she wrote.
Despite the happy ending for the deer, the collision and escape damaged the car, rendering it undrivable and preventing him from getting to work or enjoying time in the woods.
“As you can imagine, this has put a lot of stress on our family, since his truck is our main way of getting around and supporting our daily needs,” Bentley said.
“With your help, maybe next time he’ll be able to shoot a buck, not hit one with his truck!” Bentley wrote in the GoFundMe.
Deer-Vehicle Collisions Are More Common Than You Think
There are about 2.1 million deer-vehicle collisions each year in the United States, causing more than $10 billion in economic losses, CNN reports. These accidents account for about 59,000 human injuries and 440 human deaths each year.
Safety experts emphasize that swerving to avoid a deer often causes more harm than hitting one head-on.
“It’s way better to hit a deer with the front of your car going straight where that car is built to withstand an impact than it is to swerve and go off the road” and potentially hit a tree or another vehicle, one expert told CNN.
U.S. drivers had an estimated 1.7 million animal collision insurance claims between July 2024 and June 2025, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports. Most of these collisions happen during deer season, which generally runs from October through December when deer movement increases dramatically.
Safety experts warn drivers to never approach an injured deer, as wounded animals can be unpredictable and dangerous. Plus “a frightened, wounded deer can be dangerous and could use its sharp hooves or antlers to harm you,” State Farm explained.
If you do hit a deer, this is what to do, according to State Farm:
- Move your vehicle to a safe place, and turn on the hazard lights.
- Call police and emergency services if needed.
- Take photos of the incident.
- Stay away from the animal.
- Contact your insurance agent.
And don’t assume your vehicle is safe to drive right away. You should first check for leaking fluid, loose parts, tire damage, and broken lights before getting back on the road.
Commenters React
Viewers assumed Bentley shot the deer while hunting.
“Poor deer dude he’s probably in so much pain,” a top comment read.
“Do people not field dress deer anymore before dragging out of the woods? That’s what we used to do when I was a kid. This is like the 3rd video I have seen like this this season,” a person said.
“I’m like genuinely so curious what u did after this,” another wrote.
BroBible reached out to Bentley for comment via TikTok direct message and comment.