Hit a Deer - $$$

8 years ago

In mid-August, its 2 o-clock in the afternoon and we were preparing to leave on 2000 mile road trip the next morning. I'm running last minute errands, driving down the inside lane of a 4 lane in a 45 mph zone when I spy a pair of deer entering the median. Its a mommy with youngster that is 2/3 her height. I get on the brakes. They stop in the median, looks at me and then as get nearer, she steps out into the roadway; The smaller deer stays in the median. I'm braking hard and thinking that I'm going to hit her when she takes a mighty leap and gets out of the way with only a second to spare. The smaller one now decides to follow - we hit. It rolls over three times down the highway in front of me and several small pieces follow it. I think I got my vehicle hau;ed down to 15 mph before impact. Luckily, the air bags did not blow. (Only 2 weeks before, the front air bag had been replaced on recall - potential for shrapnel). After the struck deer regained it breath, it limped off the road side ditch. Someone calls the police for me. I'll need a report for my insurance company. It is break time and a squad car does not arrive until 45 minutes later.

I had been keeping track of the little deer as it was hiding in grasses. It had something broken in one hind leg. The police gave me small report and shooed me away. They had to put the deer down.

My car did not look bad from the distance, but raise the hood and there was plenty of damage. After bucking inward, the front grill had snapped back. Both radiator (coolant and air conditioner) supports were bent. The A/C radiator was bent but not leaking. In fact, both radiators held pressure. I took the car home and forced the radiators back to near the proper location. Both cooling fans worked and were free to rotate. Mounting tabs of the gril had broken. I patched that with small back tie-wraps, and test drive the car to check for leaks. I made a quick trip to insurance office and told them I'd see them in a little over 2 weeks.

We embarked on our trip the next morning and traveled over 2000 miles.

Four days after our return, the car was in the body shop. Total bill for repair: $3400. My part was $100 since I had not increased the deductible since i bought the car 3 years ago.

That little deer put me on edge while driving for the better part of the trip.

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lindaohnowga

8 years ago

September through December are the deer mating months, so they will be on the run. Please be careful everyone.

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Comments (16)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years ago
I can't even imagine how awful that must have been for you. So sad about the young deer.
chessey35
8 years ago
I did that a few years ago with a 6 week old car - deer jumped right out in front of me. Took me 3 months to get my car back. Glad you were okay and were able to go on your trip. Deer and cars are not a good combination or a good experience. I'd perfer to never do that again.
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Some of you may remember the beginning of the supposed fuel crisis when we had the big trucking shutdown in 1974. The word was out that the trucks would shutdown at midnight, so the State of Ohio closed the Ohio Turnpike to cars and only allowed 18 wheelers on the turnpike from 4pm until midnight in the hopes that everyone would make it across the state or get home and parked before the deadline, thus reducing violence on the highway. In those days I was driving a conventional "R Model" Mack truck pulling a 40ft flat bed and I was heading east from Toledo to Youngstown. With no cars on the highway it was wall to wall trucks running about 70mph. About 30 miles west of Youngstown someone on the westbound lane called on the CB and warned us to be on the lookout for a small herd of deer in the median and possibly attempting to cross the westbound lanes. Running in the right lane I slowed down a bit and left about 100yds interval between me and the truck ahead, but I had a truck about 40ft behind me and another coming up in the left lane passing me. Suddenly a huge buck deer jumped across the road from the center median, landing on the right half of my lane. I couldn't hit the brakes or the truck behind would hit me, I couldn't swerve left because there was a truck there. Whaaaam, I hit the deer, which flew up over my fender instantly tearing the air cleaner and the rear view mirror off the right side of my truck, but just before the mirror went, I was my trailer swinging into a jackknife to the right side. I immediately stabbed her down one gear and pushed the thottle to the floorboards hoping to power out of the jackknife. The entire truck swerved right, across the breakdown lane and out into the grassy area about 30ft before hitting a pothole in the dirt and swerving me back to the left, across the breakdown lane, across the driving lane and part way into the left lane before I could gain full control and get it back in my lane, then slowed down and stopped in the breakdown lane, all of which had transpired in 30 to 45 seconds from the initial impact. I sat there for I don't know how long trying to regain my composure, then I got out and assessed the damage. The front bumper on a mack truck is a 12" solid iron I beam, but on the right side that bumper had been bent back about 10". Another 2" and it would have hit my right stearing tire and locked my stearing. The hood an fenders are a solid fiberglass casting, but a huge chunk was torn out of the right fender and the large 30gal barrel shaped air cleaner was torn completely off the truck, as well as the right hand rear view mirror. I looked back about 200 yards behind me and the deer was still standing, although it was obvious that its rear leg was nearly torn off. I got on my radio and called to a local base station, which in turn called the state police, and in about 10 minutes an officer showed up. As he was examining my damage I showed him the deer badly crippled and still wandering around in a daze. We were both afraid it would wander back on the highway so the officer finally had to shot it with a shotgun. Now keep in mind that all four wheelers are designed to crumple up to absorb impact, but I was driving a solid Mack truck that was over 50ft long and weighed in excess of 15 tons empty. The mere fact that you survived the incident without major injury is remarkable, and certainly a sound reason to say this truely was a Happy Thanksgiving for you and yours. I realize the loss of your vehicle, but that is only a machine and it can be replaced, but with the grace of God, you are all safe and secure.
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socks
8 years ago
Glad you weren't hurt and the air bags did not inflate.
joaniepoanie
8 years ago
Same thing happened to us in 2006. We were 10 minutes out on a 700 mile trip taking our youngest to college for freshman year. Mini van was loaded to the gills of course. A deer came out of nowhere, crashed into the windshield (it did not break) and hood , slid off and disappeared back into the woods. We immediately called the insurance co to report it....no problem getting the car fixed upon our return. We hemmed and hawed.....do we keep going or rent a car, unload, reload, etc.. We decided to try our luck, knowing if we had to we could easily rent a car along the way, leaving the van to be repaired and picking it up on the way back. We made it there and back with no problems thankfully. It sure was scary though when that deer appeared on our windshield with a thud!
maire_cate
8 years ago
Honestly you were so lucky. I've seen much worse and I'm thankful you weren't hurt. DH was stopped at a light and a deer decided to jump over his car but her leg clipped the hood and headlight. You could barely see the little dent - but the entire headlamp assembly had to be replaced because the impact broke the clips. $3700.00 - the car was only 3 months old
chisue
8 years ago
Glad only your pocketbook was injured.

We used to have deer in our yard and on our street all the time. Not for the last two years, and I'm happy not to be constantly on alert for them. I did see a darling little skunk in our back yard one evening last month...LOL
bob_cville
8 years ago
In my mind I always picture the deer's buddies hiding in the bushes saying "I dare you to go ... Now!"
bossyvossy
8 years ago
I am always scared of deer on the road and have had a couple of misses. I am surprised you are telling about daylight incidents. I always thought this was a nighttime event so now I will be doubly concerned
Elmer J Fudd
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Sounds like an awful experience, jemdandy. I'm glad you were uninjured.

We have deer in my neighborhood too and I dislike having them around. They're a nuisance - eating ornamental plants, carrying (and dropping) ticks, and creating road danger for motorists (and for the deer). The reduction of natural predators on the edge of inhabited areas has allowed deer populations to grow too high. Perhaps some day a viable and inexpensive contraceptive means will be available to humanely limit populations without having to cull or euthanize living animals.

Note, a friend of mine just had an accident. Even though he was at fault, his insurance coverage provided for 20 days of rental car reimbursement. He got a check in the mail from his agent 3 days after the accident for $1000 (50 X 20) - you perhaps have that coverage too and could have resorted to using a rental car for your trip if your car hadn't been serviceable or if you'd wanted to accelerate its repair.
wildchild2x2
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Almost the same monetary amount of damaged happened to me last year. But my animal was a raccoon. Never would have believed a 'coon could do so much damage. My insurance company said it's not that uncommon.

Years ago I was driving my brand new truck in the suburbs mid-day and a deer ran into my rear quarter panel,destroying it, and ran on. Came out of a wooded area,smacked into me and continued on to the 7-11 across the street.

DS once hit a deer on the highway with his motorcycle. Cut the deer right in half. Scary.
vicsgirl
8 years ago
What a terrible experience! My (late) MIL was a passenger in a car that was run into by a deer. A female friend was the driver/owner of the car. The deer badly dented the side, lots of damage.I don't remember what became of the deer, They had to cancel their car trip and wait for it to get repaired. This happened in Upstate New York.
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
8 years ago
When you see a mama deer and her baby standing beside the highway, watching the traffic, remember that the mama is teaching her baby how to jump out in front of cars. Also, remember that deer are like wild mushrooms - when you see one, there's more close by.
tami_ohio
8 years ago
I am glad you were not hurt.

My passenger side mirror met a hawk on the highway last month. Neither survived. The Expedition is 10 years old, and has 123,000 miles on it. The price of a new mirror? $200.00, and the junk yards don't have any.
cynic
8 years ago
I know they're controversial but from my (purely anecdotal) experience those little deer whistles are one of the best investments a vehicle owner can make. About $5 gets a set of four and I've seen time and time again where a deer came running for the road, stopped, looked at me and they turned around. Proof they work? Of course not, but AFAIC, I've seen it happen too many times to be coincidence. And apparently I'm not the only one who thinks they must help. A friend is a truck driver and his company requires them on all of their trucks and any truck driving for them.

One night a few years back I was heading from a friend's place back to my hotel, about a 45 mile trip. It was approaching midnight and I quit counting at 50 deer I saw in that stretch. So yes, I agree, deer are much like mice, if there's one, there's usually more!
susanjf_gw
8 years ago
we're not in the burbs, on a 40mph street and have had deer hit 2x..i cringe every time they come thru...they love the vacant lot next door...even had one in the dead of winter take a nap in the snow...

Hit a Deer - $$$

lindaohnowga

Comments (16)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

chessey35

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