Austin woman startled, injured by deer in bedroom

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 13, 2003

AUSTIN, Minn. (AP) &045; Most Minnesotans worry about finding a deer in their headlights. Lola Erickson just doesn’t want to find another one thrashing around in bed with her.

Erickson had just settled down for an afternoon nap Monday in her apartment when something big crashed through her bedroom window, knocked her off the bed and bounded back out.

She woke up on the floor amid blood splatters on her, the bed, the carpet and the freezer. An upstairs neighbor, Harold Gomer, saw the deer leave.

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Her roommate, Darlene Braaten, heard a loud crash, went to Erickson’s room and found her on the floor. &uot;I couldn’t imagine what was going on,&uot; Braaten said.

Erickson and her roommate called the Austin Police Department to report the incident, but officer Eric Blust said there wasn’t a lot he could do.

The women, who have lived at the Lincoln Apartments since 1980, called their landlord, Gary Grow, but weren’t able to contact him.

&uot;I’m not going to clean any of it up until they come,&uot; Erickson said.

The women said they have renter’s insurance but weren’t sure what damages it would cover.