SEELEY LAKE – Tracy William Merritt, a 59-year-old man from Helena, died after the motorcycle he was driving struck a deer on Highway 83 near Rice Ridge Road Monday, July 13 around 4 p.m. His wife, who was riding as his passenger, sustained non-life threatening injuries. Both were wearing helmets.
According to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Philip Smart, Merritt was driving south on Highway 83 with his wife. As they approached the intersection near Rice Ridge Road, a deer came into the road. Smart said he announced to his wife that there was a deer. He locked up his brakes and was skidding when they impacted the deer.
The bike went down on the pavement, but Smart said Merritt was able to get the bike back onto its wheels as they went off the road. They came to rest up against a tree. Smart added there was no indication that he was speeding or was incapacitated in any way.
“There were just a lot of stops and starts and bad motion between the collision and the final position,” said Smart.
Seeley Lake Fire Department volunteers responded. Merritt was transported via life flight to St. Patrick’s Hospital where he died from his injuries.
Trooper Smart reminds motorists who are traveling Highway 83 that animals frequently cross the road especially at dusk and dawn, so “watch out for deer.”
Smart recommends motorists never drive faster than they would want to hit a deer. He said there are a lot of people that travel Highway 83 between Seeley Lake and Condon at 80 miles an hour.
“Eighty miles an hour is a lot more energy than 70 miles an hour,” said Smart. “It makes it much harder to slow down and creates a lot more damage than driving at 70. If we could go to 65 or 60 [mph] and turn off cruise control, when you think you see something and you take your foot off the gas, you are immediately responding [and are going slower to start with].”
Smart explained, with the cruise control, people drive corners faster than they would without it on. Also someone’s foot is not next to the brake pedals adding more time to the response.
“That being said, none of them would undo this motorcycle crash,” said Smart. “It seems like he was alert, he called it out, he got on his brakes, he actually locked his brakes up which a lot of people that hit deer never actually do…” said Smart. “It is just deer and motorcycles.”
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