NEW ULM — A New Ulm couple and their teenage daughter are battered and bruised, but grateful to have survived an extraordinary encounter with a deer.

Chris and Susan Blake and their 17-year-old daughter, Olivia, driving on a Blue Earth County highway last weekend when an oncoming car struck a deer directly in front of them. The small buck became airborne and crashed through the windshield of the Blakes’ Pontiac Vibe.

The deer hit Chris in the face, then glanced off Sue in the front passenger seat before striking Olivia in the back seat. The deer’s momentum carried it right out the back window.

Chris suffered numerous broken bones in his face. Susan had scratches to her face and some bruising. Olivia suffered a broken nose and fractured cheek. She’s hoping to heal fast, in time to play the lead in the New Ulm High School play in two weeks.