I hit a deer for the 1st time and I feel so bad :(

[bcla]

Never a deer, but I hit a half dozen smaller woodland creatures over the years. A few squirrels, an opossum, and something I'm not sure what it was. Weasel? Groundhog? Mink?

One time a seagull dived right in front of my car, probably attempting to get something on the road. Looking back in my rear view mirror, I could see feathers flying everywhere.

Never hit a bird myself, but I did see it happen before to another driver. I literally saw a bird dive bombing then leveling out right into the path of the grill of a sedan. It's a cliche, but its demise came in the form of a cloud of feathers. Just like the time Randy Johnson killed a bird with his fastball.

 

[minneylovesmicky]

My daughter is a huge animal lover and loves snakes most of all. One night in summer, we were out on a driving lesson and she ran over a Tiger snake, she freaked it.

We jump out if the car - her to see if it is ok and me to make sure it isn't caught up under the car. It was flat on the road, dead.

Well that was it, she cried and cried and cried, apologised over and over to the poor snake, she refused to get back in the drivers seat for a month. I could do nothing to coax her back in there. She felt absolutely awful.

OP Accidents happen, your ok, that is the main thing, too many drivers swerve and have bad accidents. Hope the deer will be ok and hope it has learnt not to do that again.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I've only ever hit one deer, but numerous close calls, and one with an elk. Mom hit a turkey right in the windshield one morning on the way to school - and we were in a Chevette. I could see it coming, but there wasn't time to react.

 

[Snowflakey]

Ugh - it is an awful feeling. I've hit a deer, turtle, many birds, squirrels, and the worst was a dog. Late at night - dark out - black dog. I pulled over and called the police as no houses were anywhere close. I still remember that as if it was yesterday.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Saw a deer zip in front of the car ahead of me at lunch today, so I slowed WAY down knowing there could be more. Sure enough, there was a fawn still on the other side of the highway. DW came through there after work & didn't see any dead deer, so I'm assuming the little guy made it, or mama gave up & came back to him.

 

[MommyBryn]

I'm sorry! I hit (and killed) a deer when I was 18, and I was pretty traumatized for a while. We are pretty rural here so it's extremely common...haven't done it again since but it's always a possibility all year long. My dad taught me before I was even driving that you don't swerve for them. That said, we also have a lot of injuries/deaths around here from people hitting horses and bulls...I hope to never be in THAT situation because it's pretty vicious.

My husband ran over a squirrel on his BIKE when we lived in the city for 9 months. I think it is bizarre, but apparently it's not as uncommon as I though in a city with lots of squirrels and lots of bicyclists. Who knew... He felt awful though...but part of me wants to die laughing every time I think of it because it knocked him off his bike.

 

[DawnM]

I am sorry. I have had a deer come out of the woods and jump AT my car......it came within inches, and then turned and jumped. Scared the snot out of me, but I didn't hit it.

I have run over (and killed) squirrels, birds, a buzzard, and a kitten.

It always makes me sad (although the buzzard didn't quite make me sad, just mad that it flew right in front of me)

 

[MomofKatie]

OP, I'm sorry that happened. Wild animals are so unpredictable- they can dart out when you least expect it.

I have never run over an animal, thank goodness- I in the car with my mom when she ran over a kitten, though. It was awful! The worst thing? We were being tailgated by some jerk and couldn't slow down or swerve to avoid the poor kitty on the twisty, back road we were on. The jerk drove over it after we did and continued to follow too close, eventually passing us with a dirty look. To top it all off, the kitten was in the front yard of a house when it darted out into the road. The young girl who was playing with it saw the whole thing. My mom and I both sobbed afterwards about it.

 

[Kitty 34]

I've hit 2 squirrels, several birds and a possum. I hate when I do it but usually there is nothing I can do last minute like that.

 

[scrapquitler]

I hit a deer for the first time ever this morning. I didn't see it coming and had no chance to brake at all. I didn't run it over and it didn't go over my vehicle or anything...I just kind of launched it towards the woods where it continued to run. I really hope it is okay. I feel so guilty even though I know there was no way that I could have avoided it. I will always stop my vehicle for anything (frogs, chipmunks, etc) so this is really hard for me.

I keep telling myself that it was just an accident and these things happen, and that it could have been so much worse. But I still feel bad and I hope the deer is just a little sore but fine. I am also scared about driving now lol

I think I just needed to get this off my chest. This is a first for me and I am super bummed out about it

Better to have hit the deer than another car or something like a tree. It sounds cruel to say it, but it's true. I haven't ever hit a deer, but I was in the car when DH did, and I've had quite a lot of close calls. I've also many birds, who flew right into the car, more chipmunks than I care to think about (one spring it seemed like my car was a magnet for the poor things), a couple squirrels and unfortunately, and most heart breaking for me, a cat. I've also had a few very close calls with moose, which are the scariest to me because they are so huge and top heavy. My uncle had one end up on the hood of the car and right thru the windshield.

At least our auto insurance treated the deer hit as part of the coverage that didn't affect our rates or record, and we didn't have to pay the deductible. THe agent kept telling me: "You didn't hit the deer, the deer hit you" which actually was the truth, because it hit the drivers side door of our car.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I saw this pic on my Facebook feed today with the caption "this public breastfeeding things is getting out of control", and I thought of this thread...

 

[anneboleyn]

Thank you sooo much to everyone who replied. You have made me feel so much better about the situation and I appreciate that more than you will ever know.

Since a few days have passed, I am able to look at the situation more clearly, and I realize just how lucky I am. There is a river to the right of the right, and then forest to the left, so if I would have lost control of my Jeep, I could have been seriously injured. And thank goodness my daughter wasn't in the vehicle with me. I still feel awful about the deer, but for all I know it is perfectly fine and has completely forgotten about it lol

 

[mom2rtk]

I saw this pic on my Facebook feed today with the caption "this public breastfeeding things is getting out of control", and I thought of this thread...

View attachment 172184

What an exhibitionist!

 

[MIGrandma]

Aw, you have a very tender heart. I understand though, I'm an animal lover and just feel so, so bad when I hit something.

I've never hit a deer yet, but surprised I haven't as we have a lot here. DH hit one a year or so ago (I was with him) and I just sat there in the truck and cried and cried. The poor thing laid down by a bush, DH knew it was hurt by the way it ran off (broken leg) and I wanted him to put the poor thing out of its misery as he was carrying (we both have our concealed carry permits) but it's illegal to do that. He called the police with his cell phone and a cop came, and he did shoot it. I just felt bad it had to lay there in pain for so long.

I hit a cat once on my way to work. It came running out of a soy bean field and I never saw it until it was right there. Nothing I could do to avoid it. Felt bad of course.

Then a year or so ago I hit a small dog on my way home from town. I was going around a curve and a bicycle was over in the other lane and the little dog ran out of the woods. I think it was running to the bicycle. I cried over that too. I'm not sure if it's still the law that you're supposed to stop for a dog when you hit it but I stopped at the first house as I saw a guy outside. He said it wasn't his dog (he didn't live there, it was his parents' house) and wasn't sure who it belonged to, so I just went to the next house. I could hear dogs barking inside, and when the lady answered the door there were two little dogs that looked identical to the one I hit. I burst out into more tears when I told her "I think I just hit your dog". She was so sweet about it. I was so fearful she would be mad. She said her son would take care of it and then asked me if I was okay to drive on home. I'm such a softie over animals, any animal. I feel bad when I see squirrels or rabbits by the side of the road that got hit too.

Sometimes there is just nothing you can do to avoid hitting one though. I am not sure if my instincts would cause me to swerve to try and avoid hitting one or not. I know I slam on the brakes hard, and if a car was following behind me it would probably hit me. DH is always telling me not to do that. Can't help it though.

 

[mom2rtk]

I thought of this thread when we encountered this just outside Rocky Mountain National Park on Thursday. Thankfully everyone stopped to look and nobody was hurt.

Ram Jam by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[leebee]

I hit a deer 7 years ago when I was pregnant with my daughter. Thank god I was driving my DH truck. My DH has hit two. My good friend just hit a moose a couple weeks ago, her one kid was cut up because it swung around the vehicle and took out the whole side of her vans Windows. They were very lucky.
I was close to hitting a mamma and two cub black bears. I slowed right down because I could see them on the side of the road. As I was almost passing the mom darted out in front of me.

Moose are a big problem up here, and in a car vs. moose encounter, it's usually the moose that wins. Once when driving in Colorado, I almost hit an elk. It rose out of a berm on a mountainside and bolted right in front of the car. SO lucky!!

Thanks to PPs who mentioned not swerving when a deer, etc., run in front of the car. I'll have to remind DD; I'm not sure she realizes this!

 

[RedAngie]

I hate those nosy animals that won't mind their own business.

 

[mom2rtk]

I hate those nosy animals that won't mind their own business.

We've had that problem too.


Wild Burros in Custer State Park by mom2rtk, on Flickr

 

[mel&me]

I have hit deer 4 times. One totaled corvette, $2500 damage to truck, and twice I had the snowplows on truck so no damage to vehicles.

 

[FINFAN]

we were driving through Iowa last Sunday and I counted 7 deer on Highway 80, among other roadkill. I gave Iowa the ancronym "Instantly Obliterated Wild Animals" that day. Sorry you had a bad experience, but based on what I saw, at least the one you hit was able to continue on.....