WALLKILL, N.Y. (AP) — A public works employee for an upstate New York town is recovering from injuries suffered when he lost control of a mower when a deer ran in front of the vehicle.

Officials in the Orange County town of Wallkill tell the Times Herald-Record of Middletown that the worker was operating a mower early Monday afternoon alongside a road near the city of Middletown reservoir.

As the worker drove down a hill, a deer bolted into the roadway. The worker says he reflexively jerked the steering wheel, causing the tractor to lurch sideways and plunge about 15 feet into a ditch. The vehicle overturned and settled into a stream bed.

The worker was taken to Orange Regional Medical Center for evaluation. His name hasn't been released.

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Information from: The Times Herald-Record, http://www.th-record.com