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SHOCKING video shows the moment a herd of panicked deer leap off a road bridge and plunge 30ft to their deaths.

A stag —  thought to have been spooked by hunters — is seen racing across several lanes and jumping over the side followed by three females.

Video filmed by a motorist shows a stag running across a motorway and leaping over the side of a bridge
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Video filmed by a motorist shows a stag running across a motorway and leaping over the side of a bridgeCredit: Facebook / Cat Veerhusen

The small herd were first seen running in a confused manner close to Highway 30 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Catherine Veerhusen filmed what happened next while driving with her husband on a bridge that crosses the motorway.

The couple's gasps can be heard in the footage as one by one the animals each vault over the concrete barrier to their deaths.

A photo taken soon after shows the four bloodied corpses on the ground below.

The panicking stag jumps the barrier not aware there is a 30ft drop on the other side
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The panicking stag jumps the barrier not aware there is a 30ft drop on the other sideCredit: Facebook / Cat Veerhusen
The male is followed across the road by three females
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The male is followed across the road by three femalesCredit: Facebook / Cat Veerhusen
The does also jump over as the watching drivers gasp in horror
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 The does also jump over as the watching drivers gasp in horrorCredit: Facebook / Cat Veerhusen

Catherine, who described the deer as "panicked", she and her husband pulled over and stood stunned at the roadside for 15 minutes.

She said: "I've never seen anything like this. No words, no words.

"We see these deer cross the ramp in front of us and we're like, OK, don't go over the bridge. They went straight for the bridge.

"I stood there — I was just in shock. I've never seen them spooked like that."

The small herd were first seen running in a confused state on the other side of the road
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The small herd were first seen running in a confused state on the other side of the roadCredit: Cat Veerhusen
The four bloody corpses on the ground beneath the bridge
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The four bloody corpses on the ground beneath the bridgeCredit: Cat Veerhusen
Catherine Veerhusen said she was shocked by what she saw
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Catherine Veerhusen said she was shocked by what she sawCredit: Cat Veerhusen

Another motorist, Denny Benyshek, 50, said: "The buck was leading the whole time — then he just bolts straight east. The three doe followed him over."

Conservation officer Ron Lane said it was likely the herd were panicking and were unfamiliar with the new road layout at the junction, which opened in October.

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He said: "The bridge there is brand new. I'm guessing the deer aren't used to that, with all of the construction going on.

"It sounds like with they were just trying to run across and didn't know where to go."

He added Iowa was in the midst of a second shotgun deer season, so the animals could have been disoriented after being chased by hunters.

Last month video showed a randy stag trying to mate with two  deer statues in a garden.

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