Cool Hand’s car meets deer both lose badly..

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG +1000 on all points. Even if you don't kill yourself and your passengers attempting to avoid the deer, they move! Hop, jump and run away. You have no idea where the deer will be when you maneuver, of course theres a good chance there's multiple deer you haven't seen yet. Big animals are bad, elk, moose, and the deadliest animal ever, a hog. Hit a 1000lb hog at 65mph and it's not pretty. Their low center of gravity says you lost. I too, wonder if anyone notified the deer's next of kin and where the services will be held at?

It would be interesting if there were stats... I would think the moose and elk would be high up on the bad list as their center of gravity is high..


I do know that cows are pretty bad... the main part of it is high enough that when you hit it it can go up and into the car through the windshield... this happened to a neighbor when I was young... lucky he survived..

[Popeye]

Luckily no one was hurt. I don’t count the rat with antlers. Just another pest! I’ll pass on the word to my hunter friends that they are not doing a good enough job here in PA.

[jazz4cash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigdawg Are you kidding me? That looks fine. I would have that fixed and keep driving it. Heck, I'm thinking about making you an offer.

Yup. That’ll buff right out. It’d be a good lesson for Cool Hand too.

[Sunset]

Years ago , I got hit in the side of the back door while driving DW's car by a deer. It left an impression on the door. I never fixed it as it was broad and general and the car was old.

Last week, while driving our recent van I see a deer far up the road, standing 5 feet from the road looking at the cornfield across the 4 lanes of busy traffic, so I gently slow down, and lay on my HORN.... I was surprised how long it took the deer to turn and run off.
I'm thinking maybe deer by the road are deaf.

[rayinpenn]

A selfish guy might use this as an opportunity to give his son his 5 year old RAV4 and buy himself some new wheels.. Zoom Zoom. We will see.

[mystang52]

" My first 5 months of retirement have been interesting: New Boiler, termites, another bulge ($7,000) in the stucco..and now a car -thats life I guess -no complaints."

Those first 5 months should be a good learning lesson for those planning ER. Life happens. Glad your son is OK.
As a brief aside, several years ago I was given a speeding ticket in the northern reaches of New Hampshire. The cop was very polite, but lectured me on what could happen if I hit a moose. Deer in PA, and I guess moose (meese?) in NH, are hazards of the road.

[38Chevy454]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredAt55.5 Yes, like the OP, I also live in Pennsylvania. My son was in an accident in 2012 (other party's fault). The car only had cosmetic damage - cracked front bumper, crumpled fender, and scratches/dents down the passenger side. But, it was 16 years old with 100k miles and was deemed totalled (State Farm repair estimate was over $3k). Anyway, we bought it back from State Farm for about $400, and had it "recertified" so we could drive it again. In PA, there's a list of state inspection shops that can do the recertification process for you. It entails a safety inspection, checking that no body work sticks out, the doors open correctly, etc. They also need to take a number of photos and then send all the paperwork into the DMV. It takes a couple of weeks before you get a new recertified title, replacing the totalled title. I think my shop charged about $300 for the inspection and paperwork. Note, we did not fix any of the bodywork, fender, or bumper, and we're still driving it 7 years later. If it's drivable, it would be worthwhile to find a shop close by that does recertifications and get their opinion on exactly what would need to be fixed to qualify for a recertified title.

My thoughts also. Don't bother fixing the car more than needed to make it passable for inspection. College car does not need to have all pristine panels and paint. You know mechanically it is good, so just fix what is needed for lowest cost and keep driving it. Save the money vs getting another vehicle.

[Winemaker]

Why did Coolhand bother you about hitting a deer? I can see calling the law or road crew to get it off the road, but if the car was driveable, then drive own your merry way. While I have killed many a deer on WV and PA highways, I am sure my picture is hanging in Deer Post Offices to warn them of my travels on the roads.

There have been several deer suicides in this area, also. Several deer have elected to run down or across bridges and overpasses in the area, then decide to jump back over the barriers, only to plunge several hundred feet to their demise.

[rayinpenn]

Ok preliminary verdict is in $3,200 - damage. Car is worth around $5,000 I am going to get it fixed.. hopefully i dont need to spend more than $500 (the deductible).

Notables..what adjuster told me.
Radiator damaged
A/c damaged

Hoof damage on door. Sweet Moses!

[RobbieB]

Yeah, fix the AC and the radiator, call it good enough.

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobbieB Yeah, fix the AC and the radiator, call it good enough.

If all I have to do is pay the deductible, I’d get it fixed completely. No reason not to. I wouldn’t be as picky as if it were my main car, but I’d fix it.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayinpenn Ok preliminary verdict is in $3,200 damage car is worth around $5,000 I am going to get it fixed.. hopefully i dont need to spend more than $500. Notables.. Radiator damaged A/c damaged Hoof marks on door. No fooling that what the adjuster told me.

Hoof marks, no problem. A great story for his buddies. Good choice to repair.

Ray be very grateful. I passed a road killed elk today, yeah CH was fortunate to have hoof marks.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerry1 If all I have to do is pay the deductible, I’d get it fixed completely. No reason not to. I wouldn’t be as picky as if it were my main car, but I’d fix it.

+1, I would fix it fully for $500... it is going to be a hit on insurance so might as well get it done...


Now, you can take the check and fix radiator and AC (not required lol), straighten the light and call it a day...

[kitesurfer2]

close to $26,000 to get it fixed properly. took a $20,000 hit on diminished value. now, I HATE deer!!!!

[RE2Boys]

I have been hit by a deer twice in the last 10 years and carry a PA insurance policy. My insurance considers a collision with a deer as an act of nature and thus coverage is under the comprehensive portion of my policy and is considered a no-fault event and does not effect my insurance policy costs in any way.
First time caused about $1000 damage to bumper and light assembly but no sheet metal. Replaced lights via ebay, duct taped the bumper to insure no hazard to pedestrians (adequate to pass PA inspections).

Second deer collision totaled the car, received $13K payment. Primarily due to the impact resulted in the side airbags being fully deployed. Other than airbags deployed, rest of damage rather minor (similar to OPs car's damage) and car was drive-able.

[spncity]

What did you decide about repairing the vehicle?

How many miles are on it. Has it been reliable vehicle or lemon-flavored?

I'm told that all teen drivers (and maybe older) should be made to drive reliable-and-safe-but-embarrassing (to them) vehicles such as minivans or grandpa cars. It cuts down on accidents. (I don't mean deer, though).

[Bamaman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spncity What did you decide about repairing the vehicle? How many miles are on it. Has it been reliable vehicle or lemon-flavored? I'm told that all teen drivers (and maybe older) should be made to drive reliable-and-safe-but-embarrassing (to them) vehicles such as minivans or grandpa cars. It cuts down on accidents. (I don't mean deer, though).

If we'd been forced to drive a minivan back in 1966, we would have loved it. We often ran around in a Barracuda with 12 people stuffed in it. I like pickup trucks with room for two and a half passengers for students--where all the salvage yards have engines, transmissions and body parts sitting there for purchase--cheap.

But I cannot think in #1's case getting a familiar car fixed would work for them.

[socca]

I hit a deer as a teenager while driving my Dad's station wagon (remember those? ) back from a white-water rafting trip. It was about 2 am; there were a few friends in the car with me. I was on an outerbelt but managed to slow down to about 40 MPH before striking the deer. The animal fell over heavily on its side and slid out of view to the right. It all happened so fast that I was in shock and crept along at 20 MPH for a few miles after the accident.

The next morning, I went with my Dad to file a police report. The cop seemed pissed that I didn't stop after hitting the deer. This was in the days before cell phones; I'm not not sure what he wanted me to do - euthanize the poor animal with my pocket knife? The car suffered $1,000 damage to the grill but was otherwise OK.

Was that a mortal injury to the deer? I'm not a hunter or a vet so I really don't have any idea. If it was a mortal injury, I hope the animal died quickly.

[rayinpenn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spncity What did you decide about repairing the vehicle? How many miles are on it. Has it been reliable vehicle or lemon-flavored? I'm told that all teen drivers (and maybe older) should be made to drive reliable-and-safe-but-embarrassing (to them) vehicles such as minivans or grandpa cars. It cuts down on accidents. (I don't mean deer, though).

Cars in the shop being repaired I’m sure it will take weeks. The care has 140,000 miles and has been a dream car...reliability!

The old gal is a parking lot queen - its an hour and a half drive to his college. It sits, goes out for nearby munchies..

[Ronstar]

Glad your son is ok. I’ve hit somewhere between 5 and 10 deer. About 1 per vehicle that I’ve owned. Almost all within 5 miles from home. Got one in my corvette in the street at the end of our driveway at 20 mph. Haven’t got one yet in my 2017 F150. DW doesn’t hit them. Only me.