Deer vs Car, and the deer won, of course

[Lilacs4Me]

DS18 was driving back to school last night when a deer ran in front of his car and he had no way of not hitting it. Thankfully DS18 is fine, but the car is not. He drove it for about another mile when it started smoking, so he pulled over and called us. He wasn't sure if he was hurt or had hit his head at any point because it happened so fast - I think he was a little in shock more than anything, from the way he was talking and acting loopy - so we had him call 911, who sent out a trooper, fire truck/EMS, and helped him call a tow truck, who then took him to the nearest exit where there thankfully was a hotel that was willing to let an 18 year old check into by himself. He was pretty much in the middle of nowhere Michigan a little after midnight - a good 3-4 hours from us.

We aren't sure what the best way to go about this is, so hopefully some of you have had experience and can chime in -

1. We have basic coverage on the car (called PLPD in MI, not sure what it's called in IL or elsewhere). It is in our name, and our insurance. We told the ins broker the whole story when we added the car - that it was our car, but DS18 would be an occasional driver when he comes home from school on breaks, but his drivers license/address is in MI. (all true). We let him bring the car out to MI yesterday for the week so he could move his stuff back home to IL next Tuesday when his spring class is over. He has decided to move back home and go to school here in IL next year, but his license is still in MI, so I think everything that we said still holds true.

2. We bought the car for $1500 about a month ago. 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan about 120,000 miles. Decent condition.

3. We advised DS to stay in the car until the police got there, so he didn't take pictures, but from what he described, the whole front left side is bashed in and it looked to him like the radiator was damaged, there was a hose or line of some sort hanging, and there was pieces of metal/etc all over the ground.

4. The police report states the accident was an "Act of God", and does not put DS18 at fault. No other cars were involved. The tow truck driver saw the deer, and it was pretty mangled, so I guess it didn't win either.

What are our options with insurance? I don't think they will cover the cost of repairs, and the car is probably totaled anyway. With just basic coverage, is it worth even filing a claim? Do we have to report the accident to ins at all, or is it our discretion? Are there pros/cons to either filing or not filing a claim? I've never had an accident on a car that only has PLPD (thankfully?) so I am not sure what to do.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

If you don't have collision coverage and only liability, then it's not worth even filing the claim. I'm assuming that they didn't ticket your DS, correct? It's really good that he's OK, car vs. deer accidents can be really bad.

Most likely, with the cost of the car, it's going to be considered totaled. The repairs will cost more than the car is even worth.

And as for the deer winning, I would bet it didn't walk away from the accident, so it didn't really win.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

If you don't have collision coverage and only liability, then it's not worth even filing the claim. I'm assuming that they didn't ticket your DS, correct? It's really good that he's OK, car vs. deer accidents can be really bad.

Most likely, with the cost of the car, it's going to be considered totaled. The repairs will cost more than the car is even worth.

And as for the deer winning, I would bet it didn't walk away from the accident, so it didn't really win.

You are right! I just updated my OP with that exact sentence

I also updated with the fact that the officer cited the accident as an Act of God in the police report and didn't put DS18 at fault, so no - no ticket.

 

[wenrob]

I would have the vehicle towed and sign the title over to the junkyard.

eta: Glad your DS is okay.

 

[cabanafrau]

PLPD in MI is public liability/public damage coverage, which would be any liability incurred from damage done by the driver of your car to others and would not cover repairs to or loss of your car.

Hopefully your son suffers no ill effects of the accident. Not getting a ticket was actually a good break. A friend was sitting at a stop light in a (very long-time established) suburb in the metro area last year and a deer ran out of some brush along the RR tracks, leapt directly into the side of her car, fell down dazed and scrambled back up and disappeared back into the brush. She called the police because she knew the deer was seriously injured and she didn't want it to suffer. The officer that responded told my friend he was supposed to write her a ticket because the driver is always considered at fault but he was going to overlook it because he received dispatch to an emergency call and didn't have time to write her up. She had a lot of trouble with insurance covering the damage and needed assistance from her good friend/agent at State Farm to get it all cleared.

 

[dclpluto]

If you don't have collision coverage and only liability, then it's not worth even filing the claim. I'm assuming that they didn't ticket your DS, correct? It's really good that he's OK, car vs. deer accidents can be really bad.

Most likely, with the cost of the car, it's going to be considered totaled. The repairs will cost more than the car is even worth.

And as for the deer winning, I would bet it didn't walk away from the accident, so it didn't really win.

You don’t have to have collision coverage for a deer. All you need is comprehensive coverage. But it sounds like they didn’t have that.

 

[Klayfish]

Correct, hitting a deer is comprehensive coverage, not collision. A lot of people get that confused and think "Comprehensive" covers everything. It doesn't.

If you don't have comp coverage, then you're on your own unfortunately. Sounds like the van is a total loss. Either hand the title to the junk yard or if you're close enough, have it towed home and sell it in Craigslist for $500...you'll get a buyer.

No reason to report it to insurance. Yes, Michigan insurance is unique and unlike the other 49 states. It's goofy...to put it politely.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Correct, hitting a deer is comprehensive coverage, not collision. A lot of people get that confused and think "Comprehensive" covers everything. It doesn't.

If you don't have comp coverage, then you're on your own unfortunately. Sounds like the van is a total loss. Either hand the title to the junk yard or if you're close enough, have it towed home and sell it in Craigslist for $500...you'll get a buyer.

No reason to report it to insurance. Yes, Michigan insurance is unique and unlike the other 49 states. It's goofy...to put it politely.

Thanks Klayfish!

Well, that's the thing - it's IL insurance. I'm not as well-versed in the equivalent of "PLPD" in IL as I am in MI - I have had many cars in my younger years in MI with PLPD so I know how that works. This is the first time that we have had Illinois basic coverage, so I am not sure it is the same. The only good thing we have found in IL so far is better ins coverage for a cheaper cost, than anything in MI.

Our (Illinois) policy says - Liability, property damage, medical payment, emergency roadside service, uninsured motor vehicle, and underinsured motor vehicle coverage, with the per person/per accident max $$ amounts. Would any of that pay for the damage? I don't think any of that is comprehensive ins, am I correct? Would we have to file a claim if we use the emergency roadside service part, for the tow truck/police?

We are prepared for the loss. It stinks, but we are prepared to call it a loss if we have to.

And yes, MI insurance is "goofy", to say the least.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

PLPD in MI is public liability/public damage coverage, which would be any liability incurred from damage done by the driver of your car to others and would not cover repairs to or loss of your car.

Hopefully your son suffers no ill effects of the accident. Not getting a ticket was actually a good break. A friend was sitting at a stop light in a (very long-time established) suburb in the metro area last year and a deer ran out of some brush along the RR tracks, leapt directly into the side of her car, fell down dazed and scrambled back up and disappeared back into the brush. She called the police because she knew the deer was seriously injured and she didn't want it to suffer. The officer that responded told my friend he was supposed to write her a ticket because the driver is always considered at fault but he was going to overlook it because he received dispatch to an emergency call and didn't have time to write her up. She had a lot of trouble with insurance covering the damage and needed assistance from her good friend/agent at State Farm to get it all cleared.

Yes, I've had many cars with PLPD in MI in the past! But we live in IL now, so the car is insured in IL - the insurance is a little different here.

We have also known people who have gotten tickets for hitting deer in MI. It is definitely a state where you are held liable! The trooper was very kind to DS18 - he was about my age according to DS and probably had kids DS's age, so I'm sure he felt sorry for him! He told him that there was nothing he could have done, and deer come out of nowhere so quickly and he was just glad he didn't have to make a different kind of phone call to us. We are thankful too!

 

[tvguy]

My insurance requires every accident to be reported to them, without regard to whether is was your fault, or if a claim is being filed. Not reporting it is grounds for cancellation.
Not sure even with complete coverage you would get much of anything from insurance, depending on your deductible since they base their pay out on actual cash value, not what you paid for a car or what it would cost to replace or fix a car. I think a bumper on that van would cost $1,000 to replace, and a radiator would be about $500, so doesn't take much damage on an older car to total it.
Getting a ticket for hitting a deer does seem unbelievable to me, but my friend Google tells me it happens in more than one state.

 

[Klayfish]

Our (Illinois) policy says - Liability, property damage, medical payment, emergency roadside service, uninsured motor vehicle (aka UM), and underinsured motor vehicle coverage (aka UIM), with the per person/per accident max $$ amounts. Would any of that pay for the damage? I don't think any of that is comprehensive ins, am I correct? Would we have to file a claim if we use the emergency roadside service part, for the tow truck/police?

We are prepared for the loss. It stinks, but we are prepared to call it a loss if we have to.

And yes, MI insurance is "goofy", to say the least.

You are correct, that is liability only coverage, with UM/UIM (see bold above) which only comes into play if you got hit by another car. So unfortunately it sounds like you do not have coverage for this. You can ask your carrier if they'd pay the tow bill, but I suspect they wouldn't. "Roadside assistance" is typically more for a tow if your car breaks down due to a mechanical issue. Towing from hitting something is usually covered under COMP or COLL, which you don't have.

tvguy,
All policies I'm familiar with say that you must report all accidents. That language is there to protect the carrier in a situation where someone doesn't report what turns out to be a costly loss. For example, you bump someone in a parking lot. They get a lawyer ('cause they almost all do now) and present a claim. You refuse to turn it into your insurance. The lawyer then files suit against you. Remember, in most states it's not the insurance company who actually gets sued, it's the policyholder. You still do nothing because you think the whole thing is bogus (and it probably is). A default judgment is filed against you. Now you finally give it to insurance. At that point, they're up a creek without a paddle and that's where you may have a coverage issue. That's why that language is there. But from a practical standpoint, if you hit a deer and don't report the claim because you don't have coverage on the car, the insurance company won't care one bit. Frankly, they'd prefer you didn't file that claim, it's less processing work.

 

[bcla]

I didn't have comprehensive when someone just backed into my car and took off. But in California all policies are required to have uninsured motorist coverage, so I ended up with a cash settlement for the value of the repair, although I wasn't required to repair what was mostly cosmetic. Not sure if that would apply to a deer collision.

And I've been there. Saw it happen once although the vehicle was a large one that more or less survived with noticeable damage, but I avoided it. I've also seen deer sprint out in to the side of my car and narrowly miss by jumping in front and away. Just a few inches closer and I would have clipped it. However, I've heard plenty about people whose vehicles were totaled.

 

[wenrob]

Correct, hitting a deer is comprehensive coverage, not collision. A lot of people get that confused and think "Comprehensive" covers everything. It doesn't.

If you don't have comp coverage, then you're on your own unfortunately. Sounds like the van is a total loss. Either hand the title to the junk yard or if you're close enough, have it towed home and sell it in Craigslist for $500...you'll get a buyer.

No reason to report it to insurance. Yes, Michigan insurance is unique and unlike the other 49 states. It's goofy...to put it politely.

I have a friend in MI that was hit by an elderly man and she was pretty much screwed. I kept thinking she was misunderstanding and then I looked it up. Holy crap. “Goofy” is a nice way of putting it.

My insurance requires every accident to be reported to them, without regard to whether is was your fault, or if a claim is being filed. Not reporting it is grounds for cancellation.
Not sure even with complete coverage you would get much of anything from insurance, depending on your deductible since they base their pay out on actual cash value, not what you paid for a car or what it would cost to replace or fix a car. I think a bumper on that van would cost $1,000 to replace, and a radiator would be about $500, so doesn't take much damage on an older car to total it.
Getting a ticket for hitting a deer does seem unbelievable to me, but my friend Google tells me it happens in more than one state.

Like Klayfish said it’s the language you have to pay attention to in that requirement. I’ve declined to file a claim/report on my vehicle for minor accidents (my kid backing into a tree, someone clipping me in a parking lot etc.) many times over the years. They’re not going to drop me for not costing them money.

 

[scrapquitler]

DS18 was driving back to school last night when a deer ran in front of his car and he had no way of not hitting it. Thankfully DS18 is fine, but the car is not. He drove it for about another mile when it started smoking, so he pulled over and called us. He wasn't sure if he was hurt or had hit his head at any point because it happened so fast - I think he was a little in shock more than anything, from the way he was talking and acting loopy - so we had him call 911, who sent out a trooper, fire truck/EMS, and helped him call a tow truck, who then took him to the nearest exit where there thankfully was a hotel that was willing to let an 18 year old check into by himself. He was pretty much in the middle of nowhere Michigan a little after midnight - a good 3-4 hours from us.

We aren't sure what the best way to go about this is, so hopefully some of you have had experience and can chime in -

1. We have basic coverage on the car (called PLPD in MI, not sure what it's called in IL or elsewhere). It is in our name, and our insurance. We told the ins broker the whole story when we added the car - that it was our car, but DS18 would be an occasional driver when he comes home from school on breaks, but his drivers license/address is in MI. (all true). We let him bring the car out to MI yesterday for the week so he could move his stuff back home to IL next Tuesday when his spring class is over. He has decided to move back home and go to school here in IL next year, but his license is still in MI, so I think everything that we said still holds true.

2. We bought the car for $1500 about a month ago. 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan about 120,000 miles. Decent condition.

3. We advised DS to stay in the car until the police got there, so he didn't take pictures, but from what he described, the whole front left side is bashed in and it looked to him like the radiator was damaged, there was a hose or line of some sort hanging, and there was pieces of metal/etc all over the ground.

4. The police report states the accident was an "Act of God", and does not put DS18 at fault. No other cars were involved. The tow truck driver saw the deer, and it was pretty mangled, so I guess it didn't win either.

What are our options with insurance? I don't think they will cover the cost of repairs, and the car is probably totaled anyway. With just basic coverage, is it worth even filing a claim? Do we have to report the accident to ins at all, or is it our discretion? Are there pros/cons to either filing or not filing a claim? I've never had an accident on a car that only has PLPD (thankfully?) so I am not sure what to do.

When we were hit by a deer (It ran into the side of us), our insurance told us that the comrehensive portion of the coverage takes care of a deer hit, it doesn't go against collision like an accident would.

 

[Imzadi]

But from a practical standpoint, if you hit a deer and don't report the claim because you don't have coverage on the car, the insurance company won't care one bit. Frankly, they'd prefer you didn't file that claim, it's less processing work.

I would think the OP also wouldn't want to unnecessarily report it, as once it's reported, it officially in her DS's file that he's been in an accident. For some insurance companies, it doesn't matter if he wasn't at fault. He's been in an accident. The OP probably already is paying exorbitant rates as they have someone under 25 listed as a driver. No need to list that he's now been in an accident.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I would think the OP also wouldn't want to unnecessarily report it, as once it's reported, it officially in her DS's file that he's been in an accident. For some insurance companies, it doesn't matter if he wasn't at fault. He's been in an accident. The OP probably already is paying exorbitant rates as they have someone under 25 is listed as a driver. No need to list that he's now been in an accident.

Yup - pretty much.

Sigh, it's always something.

 

[piccolopat]

I didn't have comprehensive when someone just backed into my car and took off. But in California all policies are required to have uninsured motorist coverage, so I ended up with a cash settlement for the value of the repair, although I wasn't required to repair what was mostly cosmetic. Not sure if that would apply to a deer collision.

And I've been there. Saw it happen once although the vehicle was a large one that more or less survived with noticeable damage, but I avoided it. I've also seen deer sprint out in to the side of my car and narrowly miss by jumping in front and away. Just a few inches closer and I would have clipped it. However, I've heard plenty about people whose vehicles were totaled.

Deer accidents wouldn't be covered by uninsured motorists coverage. As PP said, that is only payable if you buy a policy with comprehensive coverage. Also, uninsured motorists coverage in many states is for bodily injury only. Some do have property damage available but that is not the case for all states.

 

[tvguy]

tvguy,
All policies I'm familiar with say that you must report all accidents. That language is there to protect the carrier in a situation where someone doesn't report what turns out to be a costly loss. For example, you bump someone in a parking lot. They get a lawyer ('cause they almost all do now) and present a claim. You refuse to turn it into your insurance. The lawyer then files suit against you. Remember, in most states it's not the insurance company who actually gets sued, it's the policyholder. You still do nothing because you think the whole thing is bogus (and it probably is). A default judgment is filed against you. Now you finally give it to insurance. At that point, they're up a creek without a paddle and that's where you may have a coverage issue. That's why that language is there. But from a practical standpoint, if you hit a deer and don't report the claim because you don't have coverage on the car, the insurance company won't care one bit. Frankly, they'd prefer you didn't file that claim, it's less processing work.

My then 17 year old daughter rear-ended a car on the freeway 11 years ago. A police report was taken, no citations issued. We reported it to insurance. The other party filed a claim, and got a settlement offer that was based on the actual cash value of the car, with the stipulation that the title of the car be branded at "totaled" if the offer was accepted. I felt sorry for the owner of the car, but despite a new engine and transmission, the ACV of the car was still only $500, and the estimates to fix the bumper and small dent were three times that.

 

[Searc]

If you don't have collision coverage and only liability, then it's not worth even filing the claim. I'm assuming that they didn't ticket your DS, correct? It's really good that he's OK, car vs. deer accidents can be really bad.

Most likely, with the cost of the car, it's going to be considered totaled. The repairs will cost more than the car is even worth.

And as for the deer winning, I would bet it didn't walk away from the accident, so it didn't really win.

We've had two car vs deer accidents the last year with two different cars. The one we reported to insurance cost $4600 to fix and the one we didn't make a report on was $1100 (this one was minor). I am glad your son is ok. That's all that really matters.

 

[Kellydelly]

It sounds like the van is a loss due to your level of insurance coverage. I agree with the previous posters who said to sign it over to a salvage yard, maybe you could get a couple hundred for it.

I live in Michigan and have never heard of anyone getting a ticket for hitting a deer. That is ridiculous, the deer run in front of cars, people don't go after the deer!

I would not report this accident to your insurance.