Update: I spoke to the witness yesterday and his mother and father went into great detail about the creature that was hit. He said that both his mother and father talked about the sounds the creature made and how his mother knew it was in pain. The witness has agreed to come on the show.
Original Post:
A listener sent this to me and I am trying to get more information. I hope he can give me a description of the animal. More to come. He writes “In 1970 my mother worked for the Bureau of Land Management. We lived in Carson City, my parents had property of about 80 acres, me, my two brothers and my sister worked for my parents.
My mom subcontracted out to the Bureau of Land Management for the Wild Mustang population.
My dad told me how him and my mother one evening got a call of a large animal that was hit by a maintenance vehicle for the California Department of Roads off of Donner Pass up by the Lake Tahoe Nevada California side.
When they were called, my dad rode along with my mom, this was the first of January and there was snow about 3 to 4 feet high. My dad rode with my mother to this accidents that happen on Donner Pass, early that morning.
My mother had a truck and used to do her veterinarian work out of it, it had no lights and a winch. She got up to Donner Pass where the accident happened and the Department of Fish and Game were there. She was told that the animal have been hit by a snow plow and it was injured and might need to be put down.
My mother had to go over to where the animal was laying on the side of the road and it was screaming and was making some very weird noises. My mom estimated the animal to be about 700 – 900 pounds and about 11 foot tall, she’s sedated the animal with her air rifle. My dad said she was preparing another round of oxidation for the animal just in case they needed it.
My mom was told by the fish and game officer to talk to the CHP officer, he was not feeling well and my mom laughed and said “I’m only a Veterinary but I will talk to him” well he was not coherent, my mom said, he was behind the seat throwing up.
The California highway patrolman was the second person to the scene of the accident as my mom examine him she said that he needed to be transported to the hospital. She said the snow plow operator could not stand and she had to stay with him.
My mom took 3 pictures with her Polaroid for her proof so she could do her billing and while they were tending to the driver, my dad was getting the tranquilizer ready for my mother to shoot another sedative. While this was going on nobody was keeping an eye on the animal.
My dad said when they turned their lights on to make another round at the animal and examine it……it was gone and my mom said she was sure it had a broken leg.
The fish and game officer told my mother that they had a flatbed truck to remove it from the roadside. My mother gave the fish and game officer the pictures and her report of the incident.
Two days later my mom was tending to a Wild Mustang that was hit buy a car, up by Virginia City and she was stopped by a fish and game vehicle and was told not to discuss the incident with anybody.
She never heard anything more from fish and game. My mom and dad we’re discussing this maybe 20 years later and told us kids about the night of this accident off of Donner Pass in 1970.”