Accidentally Hit Animals with Cars ? A Problem in Rural areas-Experiences?

flipper

So, hello folks. I have wanted to start this thread for sometime because I was curious if it has happened to any of you often. In the last 10 years or so it seemed that deer were attracted to my trucks like magnets . In 1998 I was traveling 55 mph on a two lane highway, then with no reaction time, a deer runs out right in front of me .Crashes under my vehicle but thrashes the radiator in the process, truck overhaets, has to be totaled ! Poor deer had to be put down by a highway patrolman who saw everything. I felt awful ! Next in Oct. 2002 , at 2:00 A.M. I'm on my way to work traveling down the freeway , which has a concrete divider between oncoming lanes. Crazy deer runs right in front of me, I swerve miss her, she sees she can't jump over the divider, and runs back in front of me, I miss her again, but lose control spinning around several times crashing into the concrete divider totaling my at the time new Toyota truck, while said Bambi trots into the woods unscathed ! Fortunately I was not hurt at all ! Then, the final occurence happened in Aug. 2004 to my Nissan truck which had a steel brush guard on the front ! Again, 2:00 A.M. off to work on the same freeway , driving in a town area , Bambi's father runs at the last second in front of my truck, me crashing into him . I got off at the next exit, and see my brush guard on truck crashed into the radiator , which is profusely leaking by now. Also little bits of father Bambi's fur in my grill.

At this point I felt I should go back to walking. 3 vehicles totaled in 6 years is enough for one lifetime ! Jeez ! So now I've gone 3 and a half years and am waiting for the shoe to drop! Knock on wood ! My son and I just last night had to slow down on a rural road at midnight because 4 deer were using the road as their personal playground ! So my question to you folks is, have you had bad luck hitting animals , is it a problem in your area ? How have you dealt with it ? of course the obvious, drive slower or more carefully , but what have you experienced to work ? Peace out, Mr. Flipper

ex-nj-jw

Mr. Flipper - I have never hit a deer *knocking on wood*. But I've seen the damage they can cause to vehicles and people. Glad you've come out of your ordeal unscathed. Please be carefull!

nj

PS - I did hit a bird once, didn't tell hubby cause I was embarrassed. How the hell do you hit a bird Anyway he was checking the oil, came inside and said "did you hit a bird"? Me: No! Who the hell hits a bird? Hubby: Well, I wonder how all those feathers got under your hood honey?

nj

JK666

Flipper,

They say bad things run in threes, maybe you have gotten your quota.

I've hit a few deer in my time, the saddest was when I nailed a baby deer. Didn't do that much damage to the car, but the little guy was very dead.

Be thankful, I knew a guy that was impailed and killed by a deer's antlers coming through the windshield.

JK

R.F.

I've only run over a couple of squirrels before. Poor critters.

Be thankful, I knew a guy that was impailed and killed by a deer's antlers coming through the windshield.

I knew someone that this happened to as well. That's why I hate very early morning driving, especially since the area Iive in is very close to a somewhat heavily wooded area.

gwyneth

There's a wonderful seafood restaurant in St. Augustine, so for my birthday, we drove the 90 miles for dinner. We took the rural roads, and on the way home about 10 p.m., we saw a deer on the side of the road. She stood stock still, so we started making a wide berth around her, drifting into the oncoming traffic lane (no oncoming traffic, of course.) All of the sudden, she just shot out into the road, and we hit her dead on. Did $2500 damage to the front and radiator. She didn't make it. It was horrible. My mother and sister lived in the mountains of NC, and between the two of them, have hit three deer.

The worst thing down here to hit are turtles. I have hit more than my share, and it just makes me sick every time I do it. Invariably, I am following someone too closely and don't have enough time to react before its under my wheels. If I DO see one in time, I pull over and get it across the road. (One peed all over my legs once, so I make sure I hold it out really far in front of me now.) I hit three 'possums on the same highway in the span of 5 minutes one night. That left a bitter, coppery taste in my mouth.

I get highly upset if I hit a squirrel or bird. I have never hit a household pet--I don't think I would be able to handle it if I did that.

flipper

EX-NJ-JW- Thanks for the kind advice. I certainly will try to be careful after what has happened ! Sorry you killed a bird ! When I was 20 or so years ago an owl flew into my windshield at 45 mph near the front right side of the windshield ! Scared the bejesus out of me ! Later there were feathers in the edge of the trim and windshield. Poor owl. My mom's favorite type of bird too !

JK- So you've been tortured by realities of hitting deer too ? Sorry to hear it . Especially a baby. I hope you are right about things happening in three's . I'm done for my lifetime hitting animals ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper

DJK

Two years ago I hit a coyote at 75 mph with my pickup. Bent the bumper, it cost 600$ to have it replaced. I paid the deductible, 300$

There are deer/car collisions in my area all the time. I've avoided a few by laying on the horn until they turn and head off the roadway.

Deer can be slow to react to an oncoming car because they have poor depth perception. They may alert to movement, they really move when you activate a second sense and sound seems to work.

minu

I accidentally hit a duck. It was getting dark so it was hard to make out exactly what it was but I could tell it was bird-like. I thought it was a regular bird and figured it would fly away once I got closer. Got closer and it didn't fly away......I had duck all over my front bumper. It was so awful.

momzcrazy

At our old house, way in the backwoods, I was forever hitting rabbitts and possums. Possums really stink when you hit them too. No animals have been killed in the new neighborhood yet.

momz

hubert

There was a guy killed in my area a month ago, because of a deer.

He was driving his pick-up on the highway, and a deer ran out in front of him. He swerved, missed the deer, but got broadsided by a tractor trailer in the other lane, who was in the process of passing him.

I had a deer jump over my hood at night a few years ago. Fortunately, I was driving slow, he missed me.

Hubert

Accidentally Hit Animals with Cars ? A Problem in Rural areas-Experiences?

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