(submitted photo/Kris Mahlberg)

By Nigel Maxwell

Close encounters

P.A. man survives head-on crash with pregnant elk

Jun 2, 2020 | 5:00 PM

Prince Albert’s Kris Mahlberg won’t soon forget his first motorcycle ride of the year, after crashing head on into a pregnant elk and living to tell the story.

The 32-year-old, who works the night shift at Eagles’ Nest Youth Ranch, was on his way to work Saturday night. Around Hansen Hill, Mahlberg recalled looking to his left and seeing an elk in the ditch. He said the sighting threw him off.

“Just panning my eyes to the left, and back to the front of the road, there was an elk standing right in the middle [of the road] and I hit it like a brick wall,” he said.

The impact of the crash caused the handlebars of the bike to bend down below the gas tank, and Mahlberg said he was sent flying several feet into the air.

“I landed on the road and I tumbled on the road and then I started skidding into the ditch,” he said.

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Mahlberg and the elk were sent flying in different directions. (submitted photo/ Kris Mahlberg)

The impact from the fall knocked Mahlberg unconscious for a brief period, but when he awoke in the ditch, he recalled feeling an immediate urge to stand up.

“I just heard a voice in my head saying come on get up, they’re coming,” he said.

Mahlberg was able to get to his feet, and the driver who was travelling him behind him had stopped and offered assistance. A second driver on scene also stopped and gave Mahlberg some water to drink until paramedics arrived.

As a result of the crash, Mahlberg shattered a bone in his arm, and he woke up with a hole in his tongue. There was also some bruising on his head, left leg and ankle. Prior to leaving his house, Mahlberg joked with his girlfriend about how he was going to be ‘Captain Safety’ for his first ride of the year, and wear as much protective gear as possible.

“It was a joke at first but you know it’s crazy that this happened. I even plated the bike that morning,” he said. “It just felt like a movie. It felt like it wasn’t even real.”

An X-ray of Mahlberg’s left arm. (submitted photo/Kris Mahlberg)

The RCMP officer who attended the scene left a note in Mahlberg’s motorcycle helmet, saying he was one lucky guy.

Mahlberg was scheduled to be released from Victoria Hospital on Monday, but nurses, who Mahlberg has described as “super awesome,” have kept him in longer to bring down the swelling.

As for the elk, it wasn’t as fortunate, nor its unborn baby. The dead mother elk was found in the opposite ditch of the one Mahlberg landed in.

“I feel real bad about that,” he said.

A photo of Mahlberg and his nurse at Victoria Hospital. (submitted photo/Kris Mahlberg)

According to statistics provided by SGI, there were 833 wildlife collision claims reported in May across Saskatchewan, and there have been just over 4,900 reported in the first five months of 2020.

The numbers from SGI reflect crashes province-wide, and represent only claims reported during those months, so those numbers may include collisions that actually took place in other months, and would exclude collisions that haven’t been reported yet. These also exclude collisions with domestic animals.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell