You should call your insurance company - they will be able to help you.
The operative word here is "call". I used the mobile app to start the claim, and then when I discovered it wasn't drive-able and tried to call, the service agents said they could not do anything until the mobile claim had started processing or it would show up as 2 incidents. So, the 2 hour window in which I should have gotten an email with the claim number became about 5 hours before I could call and get any actual assistance :-(
Oh that's awful! I wouldn't know where to begin. I assume they towed it from the scene. Maybe the shop where they towed it to can help you.
I would think it would cost a LOT to have it moved to Arkansas from PA.
Add to that the mental fatigue from a long drive and emotional fatigue from losing your aunt. I'm so sorry you're going through this.
I really hope someone there can help guide you.
PA & NJ is crazy full of deer. Bucks County, PA has SOOO many, just out of control, they try to find ways of thinning out the herds either through hunting or some kind of birth control but then the animal rights activists protest everything. I'm only 10 miles from the Liberty Bell and deer walk right down our street in the burbs. It was never like this when I was a kid.
Hmmm... maybe you can find a reasonably priced flight home and book a rental car from your home airport. Or if flights are high, rent a car in PA (usually car ins covers a rental while your car is undriveable) then once your car is done repairs, drive back out to PA, drop off the rental, and get your car.
Initially I drove from the scene, after the PA State trooper gave me the incident report number in case the insurance company wanted it. I will say this for them, he was there almost before I had the car in park. I pulled over and stopped, got out to look at the damage and he pulled in behind me. I went to get in the car so I could get my registration if he wanted it, and that was when I discovered that the deer had knocked the door handle off the driver door. :-(
I got not even a 1/4 mile and heard the tire rubbing, so I pulled over and tried to pull it out. Tried again and it actually sounded worse. Limped about 5 miles (or less) down the road to the next exit and pulled into a gas station and called
AAA for a tow. This was when I discovered that the mobile app submission is less great than it seems. The tow shop took it to their storage, and then Progressive got in touch with them and had them drop it off at the network repair shop today.
When I was able to talk to the insurance about it, they didn't even give me an option to have it moved to Arkansas. I'm guessing it would just be cost prohibitive. They tried to set me up with a rental through Enterprise, but the branch was closed on Sunday and yesterday for the 4th. I wound up doing the rental on my own - but I'll get reimbursed for (should be) all of it. My rental policy is for up to $50/day up to 30 days. The weekly rental rate through Hertz was only $295/week, so I'm thinking that they will pay the full reimbursement. And I got unlimited miles. So, I drove back yesterday and today, instead of Sunday and Monday, and arranged to miss work today.
Just based on the description of the damage, the claims agent figures it will take at least 10 days to 2 weeks to get the car fixed, which means I'll have to drive back to PA to turn in the rental car and pick up my car and return. I did look at doing 1-way rentals (and then borrowing one of my parents cars since dad doesn't drive anymore), but the weekly rental cost was between $300 to $450, and the 1-way rental cost was $900 to $1300, depending on the company.
I am so sorry to hear this..
BUT you are safe and that is important. A colleague of mine hit a deer in Feb and it totaled his car (thankfully he is ok).
Sending you best wishes and pixie dust that you are able to find a place that can look at the car.
Hugs Mel
There is a part of me that hopes they total the car. I have "gap" coverage - thank God I opted for that - so if it is totaled then I can just start over with another car.
Oh that just stinks dayvewc!
Oh crap!!!
Glad you are physically ok but say that sucks is an understatement!
Yep, "stinks" and "sucks" were some of the words I was saying. Pretty sure there was another word that started with "s" and one that rhymed with "suck" as well. ;-)
@dayvewc. So sorry to hear that news! Is it only "not drivable" because of the fender rubbing the tire or are there other issues, too? (I presume the answer is yes.)
If the only thing keeping it off the road is the fender, I'd pull it away from the tire and keep on driving. But if you have motor or radiator issues...then best to stop.
But it's Monday night as I write this. What did you do?
Best wishes.
The answer is a qualified "yes". We did try to pull the fender away from the tire, but were not able to move it enough to prevent it rubbing. But, when the tow driver got there, he was looking it over and pointed out that the tire was angled in and no longer perpendicular to the ground. Which as he explained, means at a minimum the tie rods? are bent/warped and it is possible that the frame is also. That is why I'm kind of hoping that they total it, from what my mechanically inclined friends have said over the years, warped frames and/or tie rods? (I think that is what they are, but they might be saying "tire rods") are never really fixable back to new. I am not a mechanic, so if someone knows better please let me know, but I remember years ago having a friend tell me that if either one of those is warped, broken, bad, messed up, pick your negative descriptor, that I would not want to own the car as it will not be completely safe and always have extra problems caused by them.
I don't know if there are other problems with the motor. We didn't see any fluids leaking, which is a plus, but the hood was warped and offset and there was no way to try to open it and check.
I think I answered the "what did i do" earlier, but to recap I got an outside rental and drove back Monday and Tuesday. I left the car in PA to be looked at, and I'm expecting that the earliest I can go pick it up with be around July 20, which is when I'll return the rental car and drive my car home. Unless they total the car, in which case I really have no idea what I'll do. I guess drive the rental back and catch a flight home? I think that might be cheaper than paying the 1-way rate.
Dang, so sorry to hear this
@dayvewc I hope you were able to get to work today and I'm glad you weren't hurt!
I was not able to get to work today, but they were understanding. I did make it back so I can work tomorrow and Thursday, which is the last day of the summer program.
And to everyone sending prayers, thoughts, hugs, and pixie dust.
On a total side-note. To give you some insight into my family. I took this trip with my oldest sister. We were the only 2 that were able to arrange our schedules to go, so that was kind of fun. But, after driving for the hour (we were about 50 miles from State College when the deer viciously attacked my car.), then spending about 45 minutes to an hour trying to figure out if the car was drive-able, then waiting another hour and a bit for the cousin that came and picked us up, she was in desperate need of a bathroom. So, while I was handling the details with the tow driver, our cousin took her down the road to a gas station that had a bathroom (I'm not sure what kind of station we pulled over at, but it was just the pumps and a locked building.
) When they came back, she informed me that she had asked if they had a souvenir shirt along the lines of "I came to PA and all I got was to hit a deer". But they didn't have one, so she bought me a jar of Bar-B-Ques sauce instead.
