A collision between a motorcycle and a deer left a Harrisonburg man dead.

It happened on Route 250 near Swoope.

Rosalyn Miller watched in shock as a deer jumped over a hill, onto the highway and came crashing down onto 62-year-old Benjamin Miller's motorcycle.

Rosalyn Miller says, "And I know that he didn't see him because he was looking straight ahead. And you could tell, he wasn't thinking about a deer being over here to his left."

By the time she was able to reach Benjamin, Rosalyn says she could tell he wasn't breathing.

"I went over to see if he was OK but, he didn't say anything. I asked him if he was all right but he didn't say anything," says Rosalyn.

Swoope Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Wilkes arrived at the scene around 3:30 p.m. to find Benjamin and the bike a great distance away.

Wilkes says, "From the point of impact until where the operator came to rest was approximately 75 to 100 feet. The motorcycle continued on approximately another 125 to 150 feet."

Wilkes believes that hunting season, combined with warm weather, may have contributed to the collision.

"Hunters are out and have stirred them up a little bit. Today was a warm day, nice weather. He just crossed the road and met the motorcycle," says Wilkes.

Rosalyn says the accident was the most shocking thing she has ever witnessed, and that she will be praying for the victim and his family.

She says, "He just looked like a rubber doll. I mean when that deer hit him he just flip, flip, flipped. It's just something unreal. I mean you can see it on TV but not something that is right in front of you."

The Swoope Volunteer Fire Department says this is the second deer and motorcycle collision it has responded to in the past three months.

With hunting season in full swing, and officials are urging drivers to be on guard.