Stupid Deer

Of all days...today I borrow my girlfriend Chrissy's car as I have to drive a ways away after work today to buy a turbo setup for our lemons car. (that part went well, got a cheap ass turbo for the Lemons Wagovan - Wagon Attack!)

As I'm on the way to meet her for dinner out, driving normally down a country backroad, a deer jumped out from the left side at full speed and kept running. I stab the brakes but it is worthless. I hit the head/neck area of the deer with the headlight/bumper/fender, send it spinning and the body hits the driver's side doors.

Dammit. I pull over, call to let her know I'll be late for dinner, and oh yea, I crashed your car.

Fortunately, the police showed up about 1.5 minutes later, called AAA for me for a tow as stuff was rubbing the LF wheel, and wrote up a report for me to confirm the deer hit for the insurance company. I'm just happy I didn't hit it head on and blow the airbags or have it go into the windshield, etc.

Fortunately, I work for the auto insurance industry, and we had a $100 comprehensive deductible, and have some control at a good shop to make sure it is fixed right.

So tomorrow's plan is to fix the brake line in my BABE rally Saab 9000 so I can drive it while I give Chrissy my Land Rover until her car is done. Forced productivity, while it is snowing here in PA in October. Crazy

Mazda: 1. Deer: 0. Police confirmed it lost the battle when they found it at the side of the road.

[not so] pretty pitchers:

I suggest just marking the amount of deer hit on the fender. Its all downhill from here.

Nothing quite like hitting Bambi. I got one years ago, and I didn't know whether to E36 M3 or wind my watch for about 5 minutes.

its sad but at least no one got hurt. This just means new panels for my hot car as it hits 100,000 miles soon. sad to look at now and will be a pain as we'll need to shuffle cars to drive while this one is out.

I got one tonight on the way home too. Miata needs a new hood, headlight and turn indicator. Argh, one more car that needs work...

In reply to Keith:

Its on hell of a night for deer.

venison chili at the $2012 challenge?

They didn't let me keep the deer.

I didn't ask, though. If I had been driving my Land Rover with the big ass push bar in front, it probably would have bounced the deer out of the way, and perhaps bent the push bar slightly. If I had fixed my Saab last week, I would have driven that, and as it is an old Saab, it would have been totalled, and I would have made $ on it.

No matter what, I'm glad it was me and not Chrissy. I'm used to this stuff with my work, it doesn't phase me.

Silly deer.

bummer dude

buck is crazy horny now, doe plays elusive in the chase, yearlings are still berkeleying dumb anyhow... stupid deer stuff is gonna happen

Sonic made out better than the MVA call I heard on the scanner after 11 pm. MC rider hit a deer on back road, not wearing helmet. Medic to 'pital transmission... broken leg, road rash, multiple facial lacerations ... ouch, now that's gonna leave a mark.

Streetwiseguy wrote: Nothing quite like hitting Bambi. I got one years ago, and I didn't know whether to E36 M3 or wind my watch for about 5 minutes.

Worse is Moose, Caribou or Elk.

Friend was driving home one night....Woke up in the hospital with Moose hair in his mouth, and a couple scratches otherwise.

His car? Demolished.

I've been hiking and shooting all my life, but never did any deer hunting.

A few years ago, I hit a deer with my Miata, a day after declining a pretty decent offer for the car, which was for sale at the time.

A few months later, I contracted Lyme Disease.

Now I have a hunting license, not so much to help control the deer population, but mainly due to spite. Berkeley deer.

at least it looks like the only body work you have to do are on replacable panels.

It's twice as bad during hunting season, which is going on right now here in Michigan. Gets thee deer all freaked out and skittish. They are running and jumping out of everywhere.

In reply to Sonic:

i can haz ur LF headlight assembly?

(don't know what i'll use it for, i just like projector beams)

I've hit deer multiple times. That's how Michigan can be...

Joey

I have been seeing a small heard (family?) of deer near airport in Cleveland. Got out this morning and shot two bucks a doe and a fawn... with my 35mm camera. Been trying to get photos for about 3 weeks. Sorry to hear about car damage.

My son has hit two in the last few months. I'm getting tire of helping him rebuild the front of his Escort. Last time it was the entire front clip. Fenders, bumper cover, hood, grill, headlights, windshield, the works. We did manage to find a donor at LKQ that was the right color. This time it was just the drivers fender and door, but now we have to paint the car.

Good luck with the repairs. It's always a pain to have a car down.

A deer had a problem in the Everglades just west of me yesterday. Wildlife officials found, and killed, a 15 1/2 foot Burmese Python with a freshly killed 76 pound doe inside. Ya'll don't have THAT in The Frozen Northlands!

I have been extremely lucky after driving for eons in the foothills of the Adorondacks. Saw many deer, came close, but no hits until one day one jumped off a bank right in front of me. No time to do much to avoid the hit. Deer bounced off and slid down the road. Damage was bad enough to need a tow. After the deputy arrived, we noticed that the deer was still breathing. He shot it. $4K worth damage to my fairly new Liberty. Thanks to my comprehensive, it didn't cost me anything.

Woody wrote: I've been hiking and shooting all my life, but never did any deer hunting. A few years ago, I hit a deer with my Miata, a day after declining a pretty decent offer for the car, which was for sale at the time. A few months later, I contracted Lyme Disease. Now I have a hunting license, not so much to help control the deer population, but mainly due to spite. Berkeley deer.

Hahahaha. "Now it's personal" (squints eyes, spits)

That sucks. I figure it's only a matter of time for me, given the 100+ miles of deer country I drive through every day.

Robyn says "Eek!"

If you mount deer whistles backwards on your car, does that attract the stupid things? Co worker of mine got hit yesterday by a deer on the way home (yes, the deer hit the car, not the other way around). It just bounced off after smashing the hood, bumper, right fender, door and windshield. Maybe we should be dropping the stupid things in Afghanistan as anti-car bomb devices

cwh wrote: A deer had a problem in the Everglades just west of me yesterday. Wildlife officials found, and killed, a 15 1/2 foot Burmese Python with a freshly killed 76 pound doe inside. Ya'll don't have THAT in The Frozen Northlands!

Gimme a break will ya. We've got bigger does than 76 pounds. Sheesh.

Every morning when I walk out to my car, there are anywhere from a couple to 25 deer in my yard. Not allowed to shoot them here :( Although the county does hire archers to take them out I've been told.

Do you guys get to keep the deer? You could have a helluva late fall barbeque, with a great story to boot.

Sorry about all the bad luck.