A 24-year-old woman from New Jersey sustained serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle while assisting a deer that had been previously hit by another car. The incident occurred shortly before midnight on Tuesday near Mount Olive, according to local authorities.

Mount Olive police and Morris County prosecutors reported that the woman was struck by an SUV around 11:45 p.m. Responding officers found her on a darkened roadway alongside the injured deer, which had been hit earlier. Emergency responders airlifted the woman to Morristown Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries.

The driver of the SUV, a 29-year-old woman from Flanders, was not injured in the collision. She remained at the scene and cooperated with law enforcement as they conducted their investigation.

Authorities have not released further details on the circumstances leading up to the crash or the current condition of the deer. The incident underscores the dangers motorists face when stopping on roadways after wildlife accidents, particularly during nighttime hours.