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

[rayinpenn]

Seems to be a bit of confusion...
1. No police report
2. Called insurance company that night.
3. I do not believe it was a chargeable offense..

Insurance adjuster is coming tomorrow.

 

[FIREd]

Glad to hear that your son is OK.

I hit a deer with my brand new Mazda 3 last year. It was right in the middle of my suburban neighborhood. It was late at night and the deer ran across the street. Thankfully, I was already driving slowly (going through the neighborhood), and I was slowing down further because of a speed bump. The deer was swept off its feet but it got back up and ran away. The bumper of the Mazda popped out on one side and I was able to clip it back on. We all got lucky.

 

[tn3sport]

As a motorcycle rider...
Next to a teen and a cell phone behind the wheel, deer strike is my biggest fear.

Have had some close calls over the years.


....and for the record... when I do go down....I will exit this world just like I came into this world... bloody and screaming...

 

[kgtest]

It's probably leaking windshield washer fluid. You might be able to pinch off the line so it doesn't drip drip drip. In my truck, they run the fluid line right to the headlight assembly.

 

[kgtest]

I had a deer run into the side of my car twice. The first time I was moving all of my worldly belongings to my college crash pad. Had that truck loaded waaay beyond what was acceptable and I couldn't even stop for the deer. Dented the cattle catcher...glad I had the cattle catcher. I did slow, and deer crawled it's way with one hoof off into the ditch where I couldn't see it anymore. I assumed it was going to RIP.

2nd time, driving tiny little 2door car. Saw the deer's eyes around dusk and instead of slamming the breaks I actually hit the gas. Worked to my favor, deer hit my side mirror, likely got the headache of his life doing it, and turned around instantly...rather than crashing over the hood of my car and possibly through my windshield. Got a replacement mirror from the junk yard for $20 although it never did fit right after that.

Glad DS is okay. And you are right, nothing good happens after 10pm. (Unless your favorite ball team wins in triple OT).

 

[Teacher Terry]

If you can safely avoid hitting a animal I think it’s worth it.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm of the belief that every college student needs a Ford Ranger 2.3 4 cylinder 5 speed transmission--with only liability coverage.

Blow an engine? Tear out tranny? Wreck it? Go to the nearest salvage yard and parts are readily available. They're also easy to fix.

My daughter totaled out my wife's paid for Mustang with 28,000 miles when she was 16. Then her boyfriends totaled out a Lexus ES and two Honda Civic SI's--last of which was last Fall. Now she's driving a junker.

 

[OldShooter]

If you can safely avoid hitting a animal I think it’s worth it.

Key word is "safely."

At 68mph you are traveling at 100 feet per second. At best, an alert person's reaction time from assessing the situation to taking action is maybe 1 second. So everything out to 100 feet is history before you get there. Best case stopping distance is around 140 feet. So you have to see a stationary deer on the road 240 feet (about one football field) ahead of the car to have a chance of stopping. A little less for avoiding. That's farther out than most people look during daytime and beyond most headlights at night.

This is a recipe for overcontrolling and attempting desperate moves. IOW for killing yourself. Does going 100 feet per second down a ditch sound like fun? Maybe upside down? How about hitting a signpost at maybe 45mph? If you hit a bridge abutment at that speed, you are dead from the G-forces.

No deer, even Bambi, is worth this risk. Moose, OTOH, are so huge that you can get killed just hitting one. So, for that one ... good luck!

 

[robnplunder]

It appears the deer is the one that lost badly. I wonder if the deer had family, life insurance, and/or career aspirations. RIP, deer.

 

[Texas Proud]

Well, last year a deer hit my DW when she was driving... I say it was the deer as it hit the side of the car not the front... it ran away...


I had a $1,000 deductible and the cost to get it fixed was $1,018... did not put in the claim...


Get the estimate and see... when my DS totaled out his car hitting another car we were looking at buying something with the money we got... and there was nothing even close to what he had for the money (Progressive does not really pay the full price, they discount it by 8% to 15% IMO)... so, we chose to keep the car...


Our body shop gave us a great deal as they could use used parts etc. and did not have to deal with insurance... heck, we just paid the money we got for the totaled car and it was fixed... I did not even had to pay the deductible!!! He is driving it 3 years later...

 

[GrayHare]

If this keeps happening, eventually by genetics alone, deer will learn to look both ways.

 

[MRG]

Key word is "safely."

At 68mph you are traveling at 100 feet per second. At best, an alert person's reaction time from assessing the situation to taking action is maybe 1 second. So everything out to 100 feet is history before you get there. Best case stopping distance is around 140 feet. So you have to see a stationary deer on the road 240 feet (about one football field) ahead of the car to have a chance of stopping. A little less for avoiding. That's farther out than most people look during daytime and beyond most headlights at night.

This is a recipe for overcontrolling and attempting desperate moves. IOW for killing yourself. Does going 100 feet per second down a ditch sound like fun? Maybe upside down? How about hitting a signpost at maybe 45mph? If you hit a bridge abutment at that speed, you are dead from the G-forces.

No deer, even Bambi, is worth this risk. Moose, OTOH, are so huge that you can get killed just hitting one. So, for that one ... good luck!

+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?

 

[jimandthom]

Past experience, mid 1970s says if you want to tackle a deer, this is the vehicle to do it in.

It was a double--one flew over and 1 was rolled over, while driving in the UP on I-75. Essentially no damage to the car-- 1 minor dent on a fender.

Picture really doesn't do the front end justice for the size of the cow catcher bumper

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...port&simid=607989723806240456&selectedIndex=0

 

[Teacher Terry]

At one point I lived where deer were a issue at night. It’s not fun. When we went to Yellowstone I was driving a car behind our motor home. A bison sees the RV and started to charge it. My husband slowed way down and it lost interest.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

If you go through your Insurance company, expect the value of repairs to total the car. The insurance company then owns it and will take it. Many decades ago I bought back a totaled car for 10% or 15% of the book value. When totaled, the title is marked as a salvage title, and to register it again for driving requires an inspection and sign off by a police officer that the car had been repaired enough to be legally operable.

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.

 

[Texas Proud]

+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]

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]

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.