OTTAWA — The deer are out running but they’re not watching where they are going. Local drivers need to take extra precaution to not end up with a new deer hood ornament on their cars. A rash of deer versus vehicle accidents in the past few weeks has prompted the Franklin County Sheriff’s office to issue a warning to motorists about driving roadways. That includes Sheriff Jeff Richards, who hit a deer in his personal car while he was driving on I-35 near Ottawa early Tuesday. Franklin County was in the top 20 in deer accidents last year out of 105 Kansas counties, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. Last year, Anderson County recorded 87 deer/vehicle accidents; Miami County 216, and Linn County 113. The most likely times drivers will hit deer are between 5 and 8 a.m., and 5 p.m. and midnight.
Thursday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m.
