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Car Insurance Question


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I hit a deer last night and did a significant amount of damage to the vehicle.

 

Do I need to get a police report filled out in order to report it to the insurance carrier? It's not my vehicle......it's my father's and he's away until tomorrow. I may not be alive after he gets home.... :doh:

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No, I'm not on his insurance. Does that mean it's not going to cover the damage?

298343[/snapback]

insurance follows the vehicle...so his insurance will cover it...the bigger question will be whether of not YOUR health insurance will cover what hes going to do to you... :doh:

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I hit a deer a while back (literally came out of nowhere, one bound right to the middle of the road) but it only did some damage to the grill, radiator and the lights, which are ironically the most expensive single part on a car outside of the engine. Didn't report it to insurance b/c it was mostly cosmetic and not worth higher premiums.

 

If it's extensive damage, you probably should report it. I'd suggest you call your father and break it to him right away (and say a few times, "The important thing is no one was hurt" so he can see the big picture if he's easily thralled by such occurances). Don't wait until he gets home if there's any way you can reach him; learning bad news over the phone is much easier than walking up the drive and seeing a totaled car. Not being informed right away pisses people off, especially fathers. You can ask what steps to take and describe the damage, etc. and see what to do.

 

I'm not sure if you have to have a police report in this circumstance. Waiting won't help, tho. Call your dad and see what the protocol is.

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insurance follows the vehicle...so his insurance will cover it...the bigger question will be whether of not YOUR health insurance will cover what hes going to do to you... :doh:

298357[/snapback]

The bigger question is...what did you do with the deer? If you didn't do terrible damage to him, I wonder if we can salvage some of the meat. I'm thinking venison chili. Have a bowl waiting for your dad when he gets home, and give him the old..."Dad...I have good news and bad news. The good news is, I made you venison chili from scratch..."
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The bigger question is...what did you do with the deer? If you didn't do terrible damage to him, I wonder if we can salvage some of the meat. I'm thinking venison chili. Have a bowl waiting for your dad when he gets home, and give him the old..."Dad...I have good news and bad news. The good news is, I made you venison chili from scratch..."

298360[/snapback]

 

Ehh... My experience didn't result in venison in the freezer, and my family is like Swiss Family Robinson in that regard. I don't know how roadkill tastes or what it does to the meat. Anybody ever uhh, salvage a deer?

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I hit a deer last night and did a significant amount of damage to the vehicle.

 

Do I need to get a police report filled out in order to report it to the insurance carrier? It's not my vehicle......it's my father's and he's away until tomorrow. I may not be alive after he gets home.... :doh:

298334[/snapback]

 

If there were no injuries you don't need a police report as long as it is obvious that you hit a deer. The insurance company is going to want to know it actually was a deer and not that you fell asleep at the wheel and went off the road and hit a tree. Assuming you have COMPREHENSIVE insurance it will be covered less the deductible. You should offer to pay that to your dad if you have one. The insurance adjustor will look for deer hair and blood on the car as proof. If thats not obvious you may want to call the police and let them know just to cover your ass.

 

You should write down what happened on a piece of paper and possible take some photos should you need to prove the deer story. If the car is left out in the rain it may wash evidence away and if your not telling your insurance company for a few days you should think of this.

 

If you not listed on your parents policy it will still be covered. I would suggest that you tell your dad asap and get it reported. Unless your going to try to get it fixed and not tell the insurance company. I can't stress enough about having deer hair or blood on the car when the adjustor comes to look at it.

 

good luck....

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I'd let my father know...but he's away on a cruise. That's gonna be a great icebreaker when I pick them up from the airport tomorrow. My grandmother told me to tell him if he was worth a damn as a hunter he would of shot that deer during the season and then I wouldn't have hit it.

 

I've got deer hair stuck in to the cracks of the damage that was done.

 

I felt awful for the deer. The damn thing flew about 10 feet in the air and about 50 yards away from the car. It died on the spot. Kicked and shook for a minute and then just died.

 

I will definately pay the deductible.

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The good news is that car-deer is considered "no fault," so it shouldn't raise his rates (at least if he's with the right company). In fact, if he has any sort of "accident free" discount, he should still maintain that. That's at least been my experience with my insurance carrier with 2 deers worth of experience.

 

Get the report. Certain states do require it if the damage is over $500. I believe that's intended to prevent insurance fraud. Call the insurance company and report it as well.

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it's my father's and he's away until tomorrow. I may not be alive after he gets home.... :doh:

298334[/snapback]

 

 

 

:angry::D:D:lol:

 

Seriously though that sucks...

 

"Relax, My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it." :lol:

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The good news is that car-deer is considered "no fault," so it shouldn't raise his rates (at least if he's with the right company).  In fact, if he has any sort of "accident free" discount, he should still maintain that.  That's at least been my experience with my insurance carrier with 2 deers worth of experience.

 

Get the report.  Certain states do require it if the damage is over $500.  I believe that's intended to prevent insurance fraud.  Call the insurance company and report it as well.

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It's also about frequency. Get enough "no faults" and your risk rating will still change, affecting your rates. If this is the only accident he should get a flier.

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If there were no injuries you don't need a police report as long as it is obvious that you hit a deer.  The insurance company is going to want to know it actually was a deer and not that you fell asleep at the wheel and went off the road and hit a tree. 

298387[/snapback]

or a jogger or hitchhiker

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