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Runner Collides With Deer, Almost Loses Ear: ‘Like Getting Hit by an Asteroid’

During a space-themed 5K race in Ohio, Rebecca Heasley was struck by a deer, partially detaching her ear.

Earlier this month, a mid-race deer collision left Ohio runner Rebecca Heasley, 40, with a partially detached ear. The bizarre incident occurred while Heasley was participating in the Geauga Park District's Space Race.

The inaugural event, which took place on October 1, gave runners two hours to complete up to sixteen- 0.85-mile loops as they “traveled” through the solar system. Finishing the first loop, runners made it to Mercury, then Venus, then Earth and so on.

Heasley of Willowick, Ohio, was running with her sister Victoria Heasley. With 15 minutes left in the race, the duo decided to tackle another loop to “get to Uranus.” Trying to beat the clock, Heasley jogged a bit ahead of Victoria. Shortly after, as Heasley was exiting a patch of woods with bushes on either side, she was struck by a deer.

“I thought a runner came up and hit me on the side and knocked me to the ground,” said Heasley, who later discovered that a deer’s hooves were the culprit.

The force from the deer caused Heasley to smack into a bush before falling onto her hands and right knee. On the ground, Heasley said she had a momentary freakout when she noticed her ear was not where it was supposed to be.

“I started to see that I was bleeding, and I immediately put my hand up to my head, and I realized that my ear wasn’t all the way attached. It felt like it was sliced right in the middle of the top of the ear,” said Heasley, who remained conscious despite losing a significant amount of blood.

Another runner tried calling for help but did not have reception on the trail. Realizing it would take a while for medical assistance to arrive, Victoria and several EMT trainees walked with Heasley, who was holding her ear in place, to the finish.

Although the freak accident caused Heasley to miss the official time cutoff, the race still gave her a ribbon for making it to Uranus and even offered her a custom award, which she declined.

Paramedics secured and wrapped Heasley’s head and transported her in an ambulance to University Hospitals downtown Cleveland where stitches were used to reattach her ear and close the gash on her head.

Heasley, who remained calm and positive throughout the incident, said she thinks it could have been much worse. Because she was wearing earbuds, she didn’t hear others warning about deer in the woods. She suspects that if she had turned her head and looked left in response to their warnings, the deer may have hit her directly in the face.

“I’m grateful it’s just my ear,” Heasley said. “The scar will be in my hairline and the inner part of my ear.”

At her first check-up, she said her doctor was surprised by how quickly she was healing and gave her clearance to run again. 

In a month, Heasley will have another check-up, and in the meantime, her other sister Melissa created a GoFundMe to help raise money for ongoing medical expenses. 

Heasley said that she won’t let this experience keep her from racing in the future and plans to compete in the Cleveland Turkey Trot.

“I’m not going to be afraid to get back out there. Deer are everywhere in Northeast Ohio,” she said.

Heasley, who started running 5Ks in 2015, describes herself as a “novelist runner” and said she likes to compete in races to raise money for charity and to see her improvements from previous years. She typically runs in two races a month from May until September, and one race in October, November and December, weather permitting. 

She and Victoria have finished countless races and fun runs together over the years, including several trail runs through woods, glow in the dark runs, and even a 5K obstacle course that required runners to carry a pineapple during the entire race.

Even with so many unique race experiences, she said the Space Race is one she will always remember.

“I’ll have a story to tell for the rest of my life that’s for sure,” Heasley said. “We joked around the whole time that I got hit by an asteroid.” 

During your next race or run, make sure to stay alert and heed Heasley’s advice: “Pay attention to your surroundings when you’re out there.”

(10/22/2022) Views: 635 ⚡AMP
by Runner’s World