Dartmouth Bus Driver Remembers Deer Crash Five Years Later

Five years ago this week marked one of the most memorable moments of Mark Jardin's life. The Dartmouth bus driver was on Chase Road, in the middle of his morning route, when a deer was hit by another driver and was sent careening through Jardin's windshield. The deer pinned Jardin into his driver’s seat and severely injured his hand.

Fun 107 intern, Aidan Buck, was one of the students onboard the bus immediately behind Jardin. "I remember he stumbled out of the bus holding his injured hand. He was really shaken up and told everyone he needed help, and that the kids needed help, too."

Coincidentally, Jardin's wife, Maria Jardin, was listening to Fun 107 as we discussed the deer accident this morning. She gave us an update on her husband: "He returned to work a couple of months after the accident. He was a little nervous on the route for the first few days, but eventually got over that. He's still driving the same route, but it's a different bus. The deer had done too much damage to the bus for it to still be used," said Maria.

Before returning to his bus route, Mark and his wife Maria met with the children to assure them he was OK. "They were very worried about him and obviously upset by what they saw," said Jardin.

Maria added that her husband is always a careful driver, but takes extra care during this time of year, when the deer are in rutting season. According to new numbers released by AAA Northeast, Dartmouth ranks #17 in the state for automobile accidents involving deer, with 24 incidents. Remarkably, Westport ranks #1 in the state, with 100 deer strikes in the past year.

Dartmouth Bus Driver Remembers Deer Crash Five Years Later

READ MORE: See Where Your SouthCoast Town Ranks for Deer Strikes