In an event that had Warwick residents doing double-takes and deer crossing signs shriveling up in defeat, a deer in Rhode Island took an unplanned detour through the windshield of a bus on Monday afternoon. This unexpected rendezvous happened shortly after 3 p.m. on Warwick Avenue in the City of Warwick, cementing the road's new reputation as the latest wildlife amusement park attraction (source)(source).

The dashcam footage, which resembles a scene from a low-budget nature documentary, captured every heart-thumping moment (source)(source). It shows the deer crashing through the windshield and giving the bus driver, Leocadio Hernandez, and his six passengers a kind of adrenaline rush you can't even get from a triple espresso.

If buses had resumes, this vehicle could now list "deer hunter" under skills. Hernandez, however, remained as cool as a cucumber. Despite a panicked deer sharing his workspace and traffic whizzing by, he continued driving calmly until he could safely bring the bus to a stop. At this point, one might wonder if "Keep Calm and Drive On" is perhaps sewn into his uniform (source)(source).

At the time of the incident, the bus carried six passengers, three of whom experienced the joys of involuntary glass exfoliation. Two were treated at a local hospital, while another decided to go to the hospital independently, presumably after verifying that the deer involved was not a doctor (source)(source).

Regrettably, the deer did not survive its ill-fated adventure. One can only hope it gets a posthumous "life achievement" award for scaring the bejeezus out of a busload of people (source)(source).

In the aftermath, RIPTA interim CEO Christopher Durand praised Hernandez for his exemplary response. “Driver Leocadio Hernandez's actions in this crisis exemplify our training and an impressive calm under pressure,” Durand remarked, likely while discreetly penciling in "wildlife wrangler" under Hernandez's job description (source)(source).

As Rhode Island residents process this deer-in-the-headlights experience, they'll surely give a nod to Hernandez, who served as both a chauffeur and a momentary Dr. Dolittle in their unforeseen adventure.