Hit a Deer Tonight Steel Bumper Saved A Lot

[DakotaGuy]

Well my first deer hit in 10 years and he was a pretty stout little guy. I was going 75 on the Interstate when he darted out from the median. I was able to slam on my brakes and get down to probably 35-40 and then THUMP! Took him on the passenger side below the headlight. It was dark, but looks like the bumper got pushed back an inch or so on that side and a few plastic bits broke. Hood, grille, fender, headlight and even the fog light look ok. It did knock the bulb out, but that was probably the impact blowing the bulb.

Anyhow steel bumpers bolted to an actual frame do help protect things when this happens if you were wondering. It still stinks I will have to do an insurance claim and I’m sure the estimate will be more then a person would guess, but it is what it is.

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[HTX1811]

Glad it was not worse.

 

[NWRanger]

Glad your ok and it's not worse!

I remember when I was a kid my dad was driving home from work at night in his '95 S10 ( which also had a steel bumper) he was doing about 55-60 when a deer ran out in front of him. I wasn't there but I'm sure it was similar where he had time to slow down ever so slightly. No damage whatsoever to the truck other then very unnoticeable scratches and some blood and fur on the bumper! If it hadnt been for that we might not of believed him. ??‍
Long story short they (steel bumpers) definitely go along way in durability and safety in a truck. Especially of these sizes IMO.

 

[Guioco]

Thankfully no injuries or major damage. I've had the bumper off my truck and it is pretty hefty. The bumper is bent if it's pushed back. You may get away with just bumper and fascia.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Yes it could have been much worse. I’m glad I got it slowed down, but that thump made my heart sink. Hopefully I can get it fixed soon. At least it’s not hail season here right now. That can push things back months to get into a body shop.

 

[JACER]

Picture it --- Blueridge Parkway. Circa 1982. Driving a 1973 Dodge Dart. A foggy early evening returning to our cabin in Blowing Rock, NC. Speed 25/30 mph. Mountain slope on the left. Cliff on the right. Road curving to the left. Our 2 young boys on the backseat. ?

A deer darts from the hillside right in front of us. We collide. Head to grill. Body to headlight. Tail to left front fender. We are stopped. My door won't open. I climb out passenger side.

Result: Dear deceased. Kids crying because daddy killed Santa's reindeer. Me looking at a $250 collision deductible.

As it turns out, damage repair ended up being $600 all paid by State Farm. It was considered to be an object coming at the vehicle covered 100% by Comprehensive clause in the policy.

Proof was the deer hair still remaining on the vehicle when I brought to be inspected.

All is well today. The boys suffered no long term effects from the incident. No one needed debrief counseling. They each now have grown children of their own. ?

 

[rausa64]

Yes it could have been much worse. I’m glad I got it slowed down, but that thump made my heart sink. Hopefully I can get it fixed soon. At least it’s not hail season here right now. That can push things back months to get into a body shop.

Sorry to hear. I would be curious to know if any of your safety features activated....collision alert, etc...
Thanx....

 

[DakotaGuy]

Sorry to hear. I would be curious to know if any of your safety features activated....collision alert, etc...
Thanx....

I don’t think they did because I reacted very quickly before they even had the chance. I’m just glad it was on a pretty empty stretch of I-90 so no one was behind me. When you feel the ABS kicking in on dry pavement you’re braking hard. Anyhow estimate was just over $2300. The bumper itself was about $750 and the plastic bits aren’t exactly cheap. Along with painting and labor it adds up. My deductible is $500. I guess it could have been much worse. Hope to get it fixed in the next month or so.

 

[DavidR]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but we recently had the exact same experience, except the deer hit on the driver side and our initial speed was less due to being on a mountain road. The bumper was bent in about an inch or maybe inch and a half, but it also looks like a bumper support in the front of the wheel well was also bent back maybe 1/4" to 3/8" or so. I temporarily pulled out the bumper so it doesn't look so bad and am in the process of filing an insurance claim and getting quotes, and deciding whether I'll cover it myself or let the insurance pay.

No collision assists activated in our case either. The deer darted out from the side, so I'm not sure if it was because it wasn't detected as a collision risk fast enough or because I reacted soon enough that the system decided it didn't need to do anything.

Overall, like you, while I felt really bad about hitting a deer for the first time in 20 years of living in the mountains, I was also impressed that the damage seemed low for the amount of impact.

 

[kieefer]

As mentioned, it’s deer season and they are causing a lot of damage to vehicles.
Just a reminder to be careful out there and to give me a reason to share a Buck that’s been a regular in my back yard.
I keep telling my wife we really shouldn’t be feeding them since they are already cleaning our garden and flowers beds

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