A six-point white-tailed buck crashed through a window of a hospital in northeast Tennessee on Monday, only to be struck and killed by a wildlife officer's car after it dashed out through another window, authorities said.
Three patients at an outpatient clinic at Tennova Healthcare-North Knoxville Medical Center in Powell were evaluated for minor injuries and released after the deer smashed through a double-paned window and ran around in a panic about 10 a.m., said Officer Roy Smith of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The buck, assessed at six points for the number of tines on its antlers, clattered out through a different window, the wildlife agency said in a statement. In what the agency called a coincidence, the buck was then struck and killed by a car driven by Smith's brother.
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Ann Metz, a spokeswoman for the hospital, told NBC affiliate WBIR of Knoxville that the waiting room was cleaned up and that the window was boarded until a replacement can be installed. The wildlife agency said only that the buck was given to an unidentified third party.
The wildlife agency said it's breeding season for white-tailed deer, "causing them to cross into urban areas and sometimes ending up in unusual places."
"When rutting bucks see their reflection in glass or mirrors, they will often ram what perceive as a potential competitor," it said.
