Location: Colorado I’m driving down this mountain road last week, minding my business, when this deer literally said “it’s my time to shine” and jumped right in front of my car. My brain went full autopilot and I swerved hard left to avoid turning it into roadkill.
Plot twist: I’m now best friends with a ditch and my car is absolutely demolished. But hey, deer’s probably still vibing somewhere so that’s cool I guess.
Then my insurance hits me with the most unhinged take I’ve ever heard. They’re deadass telling me I should’ve just sent that deer straight to the shadow realm instead of swerving. Apparently deer murder equals comprehensive claim (good), but swerving equals collision claim (RIP my rates).
Oh and this was my brand new Corolla that I got literally 3 weeks ago bc of course the universe has that kind of timing. Went from new car energy to “well this is my life now” real quick.
Is this actually how insurance works or are they just trolling me at this point. Bc I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here. Anyone else get told they should’ve committed deer crimes instead of trying to be a decent human.
Pls tell me I’m not the only one who thinks this is absolutely unhinged.
Comments
Your insurer was correct; you are supposed to go through the deer, because the risk the deer poses to you, your car, and other drivers, is far less than the risk you’ll lose control during your avoidance maneuver.
It’s not really a hot take for them to explain to you that it’s an easier claim to make when there’s proof you hit something that was in the road versus you maybe doing something that caused you to run off the road.
>They’re deadass telling me I should’ve just sent that deer straight to the shadow realm instead of swerving.
They were exactly right. Both from a strength of claim perspective and from a safe driving perspective.
>Apparently deer murder equals comprehensive claim (good), but swerving equals collision claim (RIP my rates).
Bingo.
> Then my insurance hits me with the most unhinged take I’ve ever heard. They’re deadass telling me I should’ve just sent that deer straight to the shadow realm instead of swerving.
That’s actually correct, both from an insurance standpoint as well as a safety standpoint.
Sounds about right. It’s a lesson to be learned
I get where you’re coming from but it do be that way I’m afraid.
Insurance is correct. You can’t just swerve into a more dangerous situation because you want to avoid a less dangerous situation. Swerving to avoid a deer could (and did) cause more property damage and potentially endanger other drivers.
Yes, hit the deer.
It’s insensitive and traumatic. But everyone is correct, it’s better to hit the deer.
Hitting the deer is not your fault. Driving too fast to stop in time, your over reaction and loss of control is your fault.
I hear you. When I hit a deer years ago at a speed slow enough after braking that it just cracked and tore off the front bumper and the deer continued on its way, I was very lucky that there was deer hair in the bumper when the adjuster looked at it.
How is it you managed to live in a deer endemic area, and obtained a driver’s license, without having the most basic knowledge of how to interact with deer?
You hit them. You don’t risk your life, and the lives of every other driver, by swerving like a mad man and losing control.
NEVER. SWERVE.
They’re correct and this is common knowledge in heavily deer populated areas. At least in the Midwest.
Insurance is correct
You always pick the mushy living thing (short of hitting a person that is….)
what if there had happened to be a car in that other lane going by?
Really holds true for most road debris. Avoid if safely possible but if you have to just eat it to avoid worse outcomes, you do.
I destroyed a rim on my ST Focus like 10 years back cause I had to hit a trailer hitch sitting on the highway. Cars on either side of me and it just appears from under the truck a few car lengths in front of me. Had I let me brain go full avoidance me and one or both of the cars next to and around me going 65+ are getting wrecked. As it was I hit it square on with my front tire, blew the tire, took a 8 inch chuck out of the rim and I kept control and made it over to the shoulder.