A fawn was released back into the wild this morning after MassDOT highway workers found her stranded in the carpool lane on I-93 in Braintree.
It started off as a typical day for MassDOT workers as they prepared the
highway for commuters, that is until they opened the HOV lane on the
expressway and found a baby deer stranded inside.
The workers made the discovery around 5:20 a.m., and brought the animal into a utility vehicle where she was pampered.
“She was very hot when we found her. We put the AC on her, and she just laid down like we knew her,” said MassDOT worker Robert Bowdoin, who was one of the employees to make the discovery. “It was quiet this morning but then all of a sudden, everyone is talking about this. It was a happy ending. You know what else is good news? We got the (HOV) lanes open on time,” Bowdoin said.
The fawn was released back into the wild around 10 a.m., according to a MassDOT spokeswoman.
It is not clear how the fawn made its way into the zipper lane, which runs along the Southeast Expressway from Dorchester to Braintree, but Bowdoin said the animal may have been there all weekend because workers closed the HOV lane at 10 a.m. Friday.
Having worked for MassDOT for 16 years, Bowdoin said he’s seen a lot, but nothing like what he saw this morning.
“I’ve seen a lot of animals – dogs, cat, bunnies, ducks, but never a deer.”
