Need help with a repair, estimate, or claim?
DEER SEASON
Deer Strike Car Repair
Autumn in the Valley, and the busiest weeks of our year for front end work.
Deer move most at dawn and dusk, and most in the rut through the autumn. Out here that means the back roads through Hatfield, Whately, Southampton and Amherst produce a steady run of hit deer between October and December. If it has just happened to you, here is what matters.
-
Get off the road first
Pull clear if the car is drivable, put the flashers on and stay in the vehicle if you are on a fast stretch. An injured deer can move suddenly and other traffic is the bigger danger.
-
Report it
Call the police, especially if the animal is in the roadway or the car is not drivable. A report gives your claim a clean record of what happened, which makes the rest easier.
-
It is usually comprehensive, not collision
An animal strike normally falls under comprehensive coverage rather than collision. That matters: comprehensive deductibles are often lower, and a comprehensive claim is generally treated differently from an at-fault collision. Check your policy, and ask the adjuster to confirm which applies.
-
Photograph everything before it moves
The damage, the position of the car, the road, and the animal if it is safe. Photographs settle questions later that memory does not.
-
Expect more than the dent
A deer at speed takes out grille, bumper, hood, headlamp and often the radiator or the cooling stack behind it. Modern cars also carry sensors and cameras in exactly those places, which need recalibration after the panels go back on.
-
Check it is safe to drive
Coolant on the ground, a headlamp out, a hood that will not latch or steering that pulls all mean it should be towed rather than driven. Call us and we will tell you which you are looking at.
Common questions
The rest of what people ask
Will a deer claim raise my premium?
A comprehensive claim is generally treated more favourably than an at-fault collision, but how it is rated is your insurer's call, not ours. Ask them directly before you decide whether to claim.
The deer ran off. Does that change anything?
No. The claim is based on the damage to your vehicle, not on the animal being found.
How long does the repair take?
Front end work is largely dictated by parts. Common vehicles can move quickly, and anything needing a specific headlamp assembly or radiator can wait. You get a real timeline once we have the estimate.
Do you handle the sensors and cameras?
Yes. Front radar, parking sensors and forward cameras all sit in the damage zone on a deer strike, and they are recalibrated as part of the repair rather than left to the dashboard light.
Hit a deer? Send us photos
We will tell you whether it is drivable and what the repair involves, before you commit to anything.