Maine public safety officials are warning motorists to be cautious after deer in the roadway contributed to two serious motor vehicle accidents, including one that left an Oxford County man in critical condition.

Gerald Pelletier, 50, of Mexico was seriously injured Monday night when his car hit a dead deer in the road, causing his vehicle to veer into the path of a loaded pulp truck on Route 2 in Mexico, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Monica Jones of Amity was injured when she swerved to avoid three deer in a roadway in Amity and lost control of her 2007 Dodge pickup on Tuesday. Courtesy Maine Department of Public Safety

A Mexico man was seriously injured Monday night when his car collided with a loaded pulp truck in Mexico. Courtesy Maine Department of Public Safety

The collision, which was reported around 9:30 p.m., caused the six-axle pulp truck to overturn in the roadway, spilling a portion of its load of logs. The driver of the truck, Bernard Roy, 31, of Passumpsic, Vermont, suffered minor injuries and did not need to be hospitalized.

Pelletier is being treated at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where he was listed in critical condition Tuesday evening.

McCausland said the dead animal had been struck and killed by another motorist moments before the crash. Route 2 was closed for most of the night.

A second motorist was hospitalized Tuesday morning after her 2007 Dodge pickup truck left Route 1 in Amity and struck several trees. Maine State Police said Monica Jones, 41, of Amity lost control of her truck when she swerved to avoid three deer in the roadway in the Aroostook County town.

First responders had some difficulty finding her truck because it was covered by trees. Jones was taken to Houlton Regional Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Her vehicle was destroyed.

The last day of firearm deer-hunting season was Nov. 28.

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