Stoopid deer...

[hgs_notes]

About a month ago we had a wind storm blow through that knocked over our basketball hoop across the hood of my wifes Denali. I just got it fixed last week. The check hasn't even cleared the bank yet, and a deer was standing in the road tonight and damaged the same dam corner. It was just standing in the lane, head toward the shoulder. I hit the brakes and swerve to the oncoming lane and the stupid deer jumps up and turns directly in front of me.

If it had been crossing the road it would have not even been close. It would have been in the ditch before I got there. But the thing was just standing there. Instead of jumping forward to get out of the way, it does a 180 and jumps into the way.

No injuries (human), some damage to the grill, lights and bumper, small ding in the fender right near the edge of the light assembly. Scared the hell out of the family. I'm just glad it wasn't a lot worse. it easily could have been.

Stupid deer.

[arm51]

sounds like your gonna have even more fun with the insurance

[jojo]

I agree they are pretty stupid animals. There's nothing on the road for them except for a good hurting. And they're the only ones that run away in the opposite direction of which they're facing.

[special-K]

Deer aren`t stupid.They are as smart as they need to be to function in their world.Roads and vehicles are our intrusion into their world.There`s nothing in nature that moves as fast as a vehicle.They can`t judge them.It`s not in their nature.They`re like us,you can`t figure what their intentions are.It was going back to where it came from,not where you figured it was going.I try to stop when I see them,even if it seems extreme.Steering around them based on where you figure they are going ain`t too clever.This is what I`ve stressed to all my kids when teaching them to drive.We have alot of deer on my road,especially.I`m sorry about the damage.I know you don`t want to hear people`s hind sight.I`d hate for it to happen to me.

[my67chevytruck]

sucks to hear about the damage. sounds like you may want to get some deer whistles mounted somewhere on the front of the vehicle.

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by special-K

Roads and vehicles are our intrusion into their world.

Steering around them based on where you figure they are going ain`t too clever.

If everything man made is an intrusion into their world, what exactly is our world?

So what your suggesting is hitting the brakes only, knowing that you have no chance to stop in time because the swerving to avoid contact is more stupid than the deer is?

There was no way to stop in time, though I tried. It was just too close. I wasn't just trying to drive around it, but giving it as best an opportunity to live as I could. I drive about 50,000 miles a year in MN and have avoided many deer accidents over the years. The last time I actually hit one was in 1986, when a small herd was crossing a 4 lane highway just in front of a bridge overpass in the winter. I missed about 3, hit the last one. Slid sideways along the bridge for a ways.

[special-K]

I was worried you`d take what I said wrong and read more into it.Maybe I took what you said wrong.It looked like you were saying the deer was stupid because it didn`t do what you thought it should do.Their logic isn`t our logic.It was probably just standing there because it heard you before you saw it.As I`m sure you know,deer have really good hearing,smell,and eyesight.They have no defense but,speed and agility(well,they can sure kick).When alarmed they freeze and relie on their strong senses before making a move,then use their speed to make up for that time.They can`t run everytime they hear something.That`s what it was doing when you saw it.If it was young it was running back to the doe.If it was with other deer they may have been behind it,so it`s reaction was to get with them or go back where it was familiar.
Their world is the natural one.The way it all began,God`s,ours,their`s,every living thing`s.We may have changed it to suit us,but it doesn`t suit them.They aren`t stupid for not reacting how we would.That`s all I was saying.
I`m not saying I come to a complete stop every time I see a deer in or near the road.But,attempting to is my reaction and steering is the secondary reaction.Let someone rear end me.That`s their fault.By attempting to stop,rather than slow down,I widen the time for "whatever" the deer does,whether it`s what I figure it would do or not.It always seems to make enough difference for deer to react and get out of there.They`re damn quick after all.I mean I do it "right now",without hesitation.By saying,"It was just standing there",leads me to believe you had the opportunity to view it for a bit of time.I have no Idea how fast you were traveling,how close it was,if it popped up on you around a bend,how hard you braked,or if there was anything you could have done different since I wasn`t there.I just interpreted your words and felt like adding what has helped me.Anyone can hit a deer,including me.I tryed to say something at the end that would help you see I wasn`t putting blame on you.You sure drive alot of miles.I guess you`re doing pretty good only hitting a couple deer.

[hgs_notes]

Well Tim, nice dissertation, but my use of the word stoopid or stupid was as a cuss or expletive as a result of my frustration. I really wasn't planning on getting into the psychology of deer behavior, or even where the boundaries are or should be between human and wild life habitat. I believe you are a genuinely good guy that just wants to be helpful. But commenting as you did was not helpful after the incedent was over. If you were worried that what you said could be taken wrong or read into, you probably should have edited it, or removed the comment.

The fact is, this particular deer may have been the last in line, and running to the herd could have been forward. Who knows what direction the deer was going? It may have been changing it's mind once it got on the road, before it was in my lights. Unless there have been studies done by the insurance companies or a state somewhere analyzing the results of deer automibile accidents, there is no reasonable direction on where to go in this case. If such a study was done, and after interviews with affected drivers, cops, etc. and they concluded that if approaching a standing deer in the highway, hit the brakes, stay straight on, the deer will jump backwards, I think I made the obvious reaction by swerving left and braking rather than breaking only or swerving right(into the ditch, no shoulder I might add) and braking.

I observed the "standing" deer, because it did just that from the time it was in my headlights until about 10 feet in front of me. It's head was down sniffing for a second or two before it looked up at the approaching truck. I don't know if there was any chance to avoid the collision. If I had stayed straight or swerved right, it's possible the deers reaction would have been different and still would have been hit.

I guess my point here is that thousands of deer are hit on the highways every year, many of them by very good drivers that did all they could to avoid killing the animal, damaging their vehicle and hurting themselves and passengers. It does not take away the frustration, knowing you did all you could, and if the deer had just made another choice, it would have only been a "close one".

[68C15]

if the deer were actually smart they would listen to their elders "listen up Bambi, when I was your age I learned to stay away from roads at night" or learn from their buddies' mistakes "Joel sure splatted when that big truck hit him, maybe he should have kept going across the road to safety". LOL

[larry may]

Originally Posted by special-K

Deer aren`t stupid.They are as smart as they need to be to function in their world.Roads and vehicles are our intrusion into their world.There`s nothing in nature that moves as fast as a vehicle.They can`t judge them.It`s not in their nature.They`re like us,you can`t figure what their intentions are.It was going back to where it came from,not where you figured it was going.I try to stop when I see them,even if it seems extreme.Steering around them based on where you figure they are going ain`t too clever.This is what I`ve stressed to all my kids when teaching them to drive.We have alot of deer on my road,especially.I`m sorry about the damage.I know you don`t want to hear people`s hind sight.I`d hate for it to happen to me.

Birds must calculate the movement then. Try hitting a chicken or a Ginney, try a crow sometime. They are outa there. As for deer yep they are not onto the game lol:

[big_al_71]

Deers, one of the reasons why I love living in the city dont have to worry about them jumping in front of my vehicle now some of the "snowbirds" that come down thats a total different story...

[hgs_notes]

Just had the adjuster take a look and give me an estimate. Very minor damage to the fender, the rest of the damage was the grill, driverside lights and bumper area. Almost $2500 in damage. Unbelievable!

[79gmcc15]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

Deers, one of the reasons why I love living in the city dont have to worry about them jumping in front of my vehicle now some of the "snowbirds" that come down thats a total different story...

Thats what I thought till last night when I was driving home on the I405 and I saw a dead deer on the side of the freeway.

[pokethesmot]

how about some pics

[79gmcc15]

Originally Posted by pokethesmot

how about some pics

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by pokethesmot

how about some pics

Of the deer?

[pokethesmot]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Of the deer?

of ur damage

[hgs_notes]

Originally Posted by pokethesmot

of ur damage

I know, I was kidding ya. Here is what thr price of a used car looks like in damage to a Denali.




The cost is mostly parts, grill about $500, bumper about $400, headlight about $400, blinker just under $100, plus a few other pieces in behind there.

I'm saving on my deductible by finding cheaper parts and possibly straightening or re-using some. I can install aftermarket lights on both sides for about half the cost of one original headlight assembly. It's crazy how much this is. I could probably completely paint my C-10 for this money.

[pokethesmot]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

I know, I was kidding ya. Here is what thr price of a used car looks like in damage to a Denali.




The cost is mostly parts, grill about $500, bumper about $400, headlight about $400, blinker just under $100, plus a few other pieces in behind there.

I'm saving on my deductible by finding cheaper parts and possibly straightening or re-using some. I can install aftermarket lights on both sides for about half the cost of one original headlight assembly. It's crazy how much this is. I could probably completely paint my C-10 for this money.

man ur lucky it aint worse around here the bigest couse of death is deers and semis lol and normly when some one hits a deer it just destroys there stuff...but thats still some expensive damage