Deer strike triggers 101 crash under unfinished wildlife overpass Play

A vehicle hit a deer while westbound on the 101 at Liberty Canyon Road early Saturday, right under the new wildlife overpass that is being constructed.

The deer was seen thrashing around in the right lane of the westbound freeway heading toward Ventura.

At least two or three — maybe four — vehicles then collided in the left lane. Vehicles were coming into the scene at 70 miles an hour until traffic backed up.

Tall fencing is being installed on both sides of the 101 near the wildlife overpass. It's not finished yet.

It's designed to prevent exactly this kind of incident. The bridge itself is also not finished — dirt is still being moved.

The National Wildlife Federation warns that moving the dirt might be delayed, because if the dirt gets inundated with heavy rain it will become mud and cannot be properly compacted.

A light rain is not a problem, but a heavy rain could cause delays in the estimated Dec. 2 completion date.