OAK BAY, B.C. - The police chief of a Vancouver Island community has undergone surgery for a broken clavicle and ribs after he was attacked by a deer.
Deputy chief Ray Bernoties of Oak Bay says chief Andy Brinton was riding his bicycle on Salt Spring Island on Sunday when a deer came charging out of the forest.
Bernoties says bypassers helped the chief, whose helmet was dented when he went flying off his bike on a paved road.
He says Brinton is in pain but expected to make a full recovery and isn't likely to waste much time before heading back out on his bicycle.
It's not known if the deer's behaviour had anything to do with rutting season, when the animals tend to become aggressive.
The growing deer population has been a problem for several years in the Capital Regional District, which includes Salt Spring Island.
