# Deer Collision and car insurance?



## Brian N.E Ohio (May 11, 2002)

Is there anybody here that has worked in the auto insurance industry that can tell me if my rates will increase if I turn the accident in to my insurance company? My insurance company is not the one that advertises accident forgiveness.
My newest car was broadsided by a 6 point buck last night. There is damage on 3 body panels. Only trace damage to right front fender and right front door but there is a sizeable dent in the right rear door. Estimates range form a low of $1200 to a high of $2050 that includes a new outer skin for the right rear door.
The car is an 06 corolla and my insurance carries a 500 deductable. Never had an at fault accident and I have a good driver discount. I am thinking it might be better to bite the bullet and pay the damages myself than take a chance on turning it in to the insurance company. I am afraid to even ask this question to my insuranse company for fear that my rates will rise.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

As I understand the insurance company will increase your rates whenever a claim is made regardless of who/what is at fault.


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## pistolsmom (Mar 19, 2005)

Just hit a dandy 10 point this morning and just now got off the phone with my insurance co..[ I am in PA.] Looking at least 10 grand in damage! They tell me that since it was a deer it will go under comprehensive and I will NOT have to pay my $500 deductible. Said rates aren't effected since it is under comprehensive and not collision. Friday the 13th.....


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Comprehensive is a great thing!
We had a coyote dive in front of us at night on the highway. Sparks, rubber, screeching metal, the works. $2000 in damage to the front end, dead coyote.

We had, I believe, a $250 deductible (varies depending on what you chose when you purchased) and our rates didn't change a bit. However, the very urban claims adjustor was shocked and horrified we'd hit a coyote... I think if we'd run into a chupacabra her reaction would have been the same, lol.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

pistolsmom said:


> Just hit a dandy 10 point this morning and just now got off the phone with my insurance co..[ I am in PA.] Looking at least 10 grand in damage! They tell me that since it was a deer it will go under comprehensive and I will NOT have to pay my $500 deductible. Said rates aren't effected since it is under comprehensive and not collision. Friday the 13th.....


DITTO for PA..
I hit a deer, had tons of damage and didnt have to pay a cent. I still have a perfect accident record, as comp. is considered non chargable.
Call an agent and ask what your state does


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## toni48 (Mar 25, 2008)

We hit a deer and it totaled our car. We didn't have to pay the deductiable and our rates didn't go up.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

I have hit many, many deer  and my rates never increased. I always had to pay the deductible when having it fixed. (That was back in Michigan, though ... rules may be different where you live!)

Incidentally, I keep a $100 deductible for comprehensive and a higher one ($500, I believe) for collision ... figuring I have a much greater chance of hitting a deer than being in a crash involving another car!

So far, that's proven to be true. Grrr!


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## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

willow_girl said:


> I have hit many, many deer  and my rates never increased. I always had to pay the deductible when having it fixed. (That was back in Michigan, though ... rules may be different where you live!)
> 
> Incidentally, I keep a $100 deductible for comprehensive and a higher one ($500, I believe) for collision ... figuring I have a much greater chance of hitting a deer than being in a crash involving another car!
> 
> So far, that's proven to be true. Grrr!



Too true. DH hit three one year, living in AR. When you are a broke student driving a junker with liability only, that doesn't work out too well.


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## Chixarecute (Nov 19, 2004)

Yes, deer hits are comprehensive - we have hit many over the years, as well as gravel dings in the windshield from big trucks, and once a horse chewed on our truck hood & rear view mirror. All reported, claimed, fixed by insurance. Never a change in our rates.


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## HomeOnTheFarm (Mar 9, 2004)

The gecko didn't increase our rates when we hit a deer (5 years ago). Said it was "an act of God". Uh huh. I thought it was an act of the deer.


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## caroline00 (Nov 10, 2002)

no, in CA it is collision in MO it is comprehensive... In CA, I had a boulder roll off the side of a mountain and hit my car. Since my car was moving, it was collision.

he needs to check and see what category it is in his state.


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## Fae (Mar 9, 2005)

I hit a large buck last year and insurance paid everything and I paid nothing and my rates did not change.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Being someone who lives in Ohio and had a claim made after we called the police when we hit a dog I will offer this advice, check your policy. On most policies sold in Ohio (because coverage does vary by state) hitting a deer is usually your fault. Doesn't matter if the stupid deer charges your car or if it jumps out of the ditch right in front of you it is still your fault and you have to pay the deductible and suffer from increased costs. Plus you MUST have a police report stating you hit the animal. Our neighbor ran over a fallen tree and had to pay the deductible and an increased rate even though the tree was not visible to a normal person driving down the road (it was right across a dip and had no branches sticking up) and he was going under the speed limit. Neighbor across the road totalled her van when a deer ran out in front of her. Yes the insurance paid for the van minus the deductible and yes they raised her rates.

As for the accident forgiveness program, my aunt has that company. They charge more for that program.


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## Peacock (Apr 12, 2006)

FWIW, we are also in Ohio. DH hit deer twice, and the cars "totaled" (older cars) and the rates did not go up. We even negotiated once to have them pay out a little more than we were offered. It's State Farm, if that matters.


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

................Everyone should carry $50 deductible on their comprehensive coverage ! Also , On my policy I carry (2) 10,000 life insurance amounts in case I'm killed while driving , costs me $2 a month with state farm . , fordy


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

edayna, that's good to know. We switched to State Farm earlier this year, thankfully haven't had to make a claim yet. The one with the tree encounter had Allstate and I'm not sure which insurance the neighbor who hit the deer had. 

However, I do know that when you make the police report it does show up on your record. Liberty Mutual and another insurance company both questioned us about the stupid dog incident. Like I wanted to mess up the alignment and bumper on my baby.


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## PrincessFerf (Apr 25, 2008)

Best to check with your insurance company. You can ask the questions without formally requesting payment for the claim. 

We hit a deer 2 years ago and like others have said, it was filed under the Comprehensive coverage and we didn't have to pay the deductible. In nearly all states I'm familiar with, deer are considered "acts of God". Our rates remained unchanged.


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## Peacock (Apr 12, 2006)

Agree with above post. If you have a local insurance rep, he might give you some friendly advice about whether or not to claim it. Depending upon the company, you'll probably get fair advice. Most of them want to keep you as customers, not just make money from your premiums.

I've had the same State Farm rep since I started driving at 16. We have everything insured with them - house, car, RV, life. That's why it worked for me when I negotiated a higher payout on our deer collision a few years ago. And my rates on all of these things are really, really low for what we've got. It pays to stick with your policies. 

For you insurance shoppers -- unless you're just after legal minimums, rates are only part of the equation. Getting paid from a claim is rather important, too.


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## Tracy in Idaho (Dec 8, 2002)

We have our auto insurance through Sentry -- when we hit a deer in our Chevy pickup, they wrote it off as "An act of God" and our rates never went up a bit.

Tracy


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## GingerN (Apr 24, 2007)

Brian N.E Ohio said:


> Is there anybody here that has worked in the auto insurance industry that can tell me if my rates will increase if I turn the accident in to my insurance company? My insurance company is not the one that advertises accident forgiveness.
> My newest car was broadsided by a 6 point buck last night. There is damage on 3 body panels. Only trace damage to right front fender and right front door but there is a sizeable dent in the right rear door. Estimates range form a low of $1200 to a high of $2050 that includes a new outer skin for the right rear door.
> The car is an 06 corolla and my insurance carries a 500 deductable. Never had an at fault accident and I have a good driver discount. I am thinking it might be better to bite the bullet and pay the damages myself than take a chance on turning it in to the insurance company. I am afraid to even ask this question to my insuranse company for fear that my rates will rise.


It shouldn't-it is a comprehensive claim. PM me-that is the field I work in


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## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

I sell insurance for a living and agree with the above poster. It would be considered a "Comprehensive claim" not an "At Fault Accident". Most companies don't charge points on Comp claims, however combined with other factors, like your credit, it *could* impact the premium or it could not.


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