Catherine Veerhusen and her husband were driving on the 80th Street SW Bridge over U.S. Highway 30 in Cedar Rapids Sunday when the spotted a herd of deer on the road in front of them, according to an account in the Des Moines Register. But then the Atkins couple witnessed the lone buck sprint across to the opposite side of the bridge and vault over the bridge's sidewall to an estimated "20- to 30-foot" drop. × Video of 3 deer leaping to their deaths off an Iowa highway bridge goes viral 
 
 CEDAR RAPIDS — An Iowa woman’s video of a four deer leaping to their deaths from a highway bridge has gone viral on Facebook. Veerhusen told the Register she was horrified. “No words, no words.” 
 
 According to the Register, conservation officer Ron Lane theorized that the deer were panicked and not familiar with the area. “The bridge there is brand new,” Lane told the Register. “I’m guessing the deer aren’t used to that, with all of the construction going on.” 
 
 The bridge the deer jumped from is part of a new construction project and only opened in October, according to media accounts. "It sounds like with they were just trying to run across and didn't know where to go," Lane said. The three doe followed him over." Shortly after, Veerhusen posted her photos and video on her personal Facebook page. The two-second clip of the deer leaping over the side has been viewed more than 24 million times, and Verhusen’s post, which also includes photos (some graphic) has been shared more than 300,000 times. "It has just taken off like crazy," Veerhusen said. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.
– "I've never seen anything like this," Catherine Veerhusen tells the Des Moines Register. "No words, no words." Veerhusen and her husband were driving Sunday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when they saw a herd of deer—one buck and three does—on a bridge over US Highway 30. Veerhusen says the deer seemed "panicked." Suddenly the buck ran to the opposite side of the bridge and jumped, falling 20 to 30 feet to the highway below. The three does quickly followed, leaping off the bridge to their deaths. "It was pretty quick. I didn't even get to my phone in time. I was more busy watching them," says deer hunter Denny Benyshek, who also saw the incident. "I seen this rack and thought, 'That's a nice buck.'" Veerhusen posted video and photos of the incident to Facebook, calling it "horrifying." Her post has since gone viral, being shared more than 300,000 times, Fox 43 reports. Ron Lane, conservation officer with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says the deer may have been pushed by hunters into an unfamiliar area and freaked out. "The bridge there is brand new," Lane tells the Register. "I'm guessing the deer aren't used to that, with all of the construction going on." He adds: "It sounds like with they were just trying to run across and didn't know where to go."