After a deer jumped in front of me on a twisty Alabama back road, I slid backwards down an embankment for 20 feet before the car caught and rolled.



No. I wasn't exceeding the speed limit and I had not had anything alcoholic in a day or two. Yes. I was wearing my seat belt. Trooper estimated I was going about 45-50 when maneuver began. First a pull to right since deer was crossing to the left onto the road. Deer balked and reversed course. Apparently I jerked wheel to left. Slick leaves, wet dirt, gravel on side of road caused rear to come around. Counter-steering ineffective. Slid backwards over embankment at 15 to 20 (estimated by trooper). Tire marks plainly visible on the slope until stump tipped car into slow roll. Stopped upright without support from trees. Just stopped. Witnesses stopped to help. Directed traffic. Called police. Rural fire department volunteers, to include EMT, arrived in private cars within 5 minutes. No need. I didn't have a scratch.

No idea if she's totaled or not. Time will tell. All windows except pax side windows broke. Safety glass worked as advertised. No airbag deployment. Not enough intertia, I suppose.

Thinking back, it looks like I have almost mastered the Swedish flick.

I think I've uploaded two pix.

 

Yikes !

Sorry to read about this.

Glad you didn't get hurt, of course. But kind of sad to hear the deer didn't get hurt. Why ?? Because instead of hitting the deer and having a Comprehensive claim, you avoided the deer and now have a Collision claim. That equals an at-fault accident and higher insurance rates.

That's probably not the biggest of your worries right now. Your MINI is you number one concern. Hope it can be repaired. And if not, hope the Total Loss settlement helps you buy another.

Again. Glad you did not get hurt !!!!!

 

dang that sux

 

WOW, I looked at the pics before reading the text and the pics make it look really bad. Very Happy to hear you are OK. Every notice how many people WALK away from MINI Coopers that rolled? Most do! Great Car we Drive.

"Deer balked and reversed course" Damn Deer!

 

Glad you're ok! Sorry about the Mini. Are you a deer hunter? Think you'll become one?

 

Oddly enough, the last accident I had was on I-395 in D.C. during rush hour. Hit a deer that popped out from in front of a van in the next lane. Never saw anything but a flash of brown.

Wish I could avoid the higher insurance rates. This will be my first 'at fault' accident in over 40 years of driving on three continents. Damn.

But, the trooper said while they usually counsel against avoiding the deer, in this case he thought it was best to not risk having the deer come through the windshield. I must agree.

Still, I was obviously going too fast for the near dusk conditions and should have known better.

 

I must say that I do prefer the look of your baby sitting in a field of flowers! Sorry... what a sucky thing to happen. It's awesome though that you're still here to write about it on the forum. Must've been scary... hope that any injuries you have heal quickly.

Did the thought of having "clean underwear" on come to mind? Sorry.

 

Is that seriously true?! Wow.. for future reference, i'll make sure i hit the deer if it comes at me then

 

I'm Heart broken!! As you must be as well!! *where's the tissue*
Your MINI has done a Great Service to you, keeping you from harm as she/he has gone to the MINI Heaven in the sky. As I read this to my Husband he could tell how sad I was and how I would feel if Molly had done the same for me.

Keep us posted on how things work out.

I'm not sure why you are blaming yourself, but not living in Deer Country I can't imagine what it must be like to have a Deer suddenly appear and have an instant to react.

 

I used to nail the small critters all the time in my truck. My ex-girlfriend would get mad at me for "deliberately hitting" those poor innocent critters. Then I had to explain to her that it's cheaper to fix the damage they do, then the damage from crashing trying to avoid them.

 

Glad you are OK.

Your MINI did a great job of protecting you. They say it is better to hit a deer that to try & avoid it & end up with a worse accident. That said who knows what would happen if you drilled Bambie. I believe most folks instinct's will make them try & avoid the deer. I know I sure would.

IMO your MINI is now a parts car. Best get to MINI USA, go to the configurator & start building another.

 

Love the great attitude! It's like it's already happened to you before! Sorry about the damage and I hope everything works out.

 

Oh Dear!

 

This really sucks. I'm sorry about you loss.

I had a near miss today because of someone pulling out of a condo development without yeilding properly to the traffic. I too was going too fast and should have known better. This is what I get for playing Ridge Racer Evolution on the Xbox before work.....

 

Yeah, it's true. Think about it from this perspective: If insurance companies paid out under Comp when drivers avoided animals, can you imagine how many people would "claim" (sorry, pad pun) to be avoiding animals when they were really involved in a single car loss where they simply lost control of their vehicle ?

Of course, drivers can always SAY they hit the animal but we (insurance companies reps) look for signs of it. If you've ever hit a deer or other fairly large animal, you'll know what I mean by "signs".

I recently handled a claim where our insured had a piece of antler stuck in her wheel. That's a sign. Not to mention the fur and blood stuck around her other wheel well.

 

Sorry to hear about this, rr. I hope it turns out well in the end, and wish you patience as it plays out. I guess will nail the next deer I see, if I can't very easily avoid him . Wow, will that be non-instinctive! At least you came out OK.

 

Sorry to hear about your mis-hap but at least you came out OK, and thats the main thing. More good wisdom from CR&PW&JB!! I never realized that.

 

Wow, really sorry to hear about your car but REALLY happy that we could hear about it because you are here to tell it!

 

Glad to hear you are uninjured. Everytime I see a pic of a post impact MINI I am amazed. Great engineering shows.
At least it was in a rural environment. My son hit a deer in a 35 mile an hour zone in town. Actually, the deer hit him. Impact right at the driver's side mirror.
City deer are stupid.

 

The main thing is that you are ok....

 

Glad you're ok, sorry about your Mini :(

 

Damn hoofed rats!

And their numbers are increasing every day.........note the time of this crash, dusk. Early morning and dusk are the two most dangerous times for an encounter with a deer. It can happen anytime of course, but those two are when they're out and moving the most - so pay particular attention then....

Glad you're OK, your MINI gave it's life for you....

 

Thanks for all the kind comments and understanding. Called my MA earlier and we'll be talking once the settlement is done.

I flew helicopters and airplanes for 23 years in the Army and have driven over 40 years without an at fault accident--until now, if I understand our insurance buddy correctly. Well, not the record I'd hoped for, but not too bad.

The MINI wrapped me like a blanket. Roof didn't fully cave. No impingement on the cabin until about 6 inches above the seat backs. Door opened right away as did the hatch when I got the warning triangle out. No deformation requiring pounding, pulling, etc. Have to feel good about the engineering.

Still, I grew up around deer. I know that dusk is a prime time. Even though it was about 4pm and headlights weren't needed, I should have been more careful. The draw was hidden and I had never driven this road before. Instead of 50 I should have been doing 35. Hope this thread helps keep others alert.

Also, USAA is a great company. One phone call and they covered the tow cost, rental car arrangements, and set up the adjustment. I literally had to do nothing other than give them the name of the tow company. My loan with them had a replacement value rider for next to nothing in premium, so I expect the full cost of a new vehicle minus tax and license---if they total mine out, which I won't know until the end of next week. They are sometimes a slight bit more expensive, but in 35 years of dealing with them, they are quick to settle, have a minimum of admin hoops, put real people on the phone quickly, and are the most helpful folks I can think of. [End of Endorsement]

 

rrcaniglia -- just to chime in with my "glad you're oks"...I'm also a huge fan of USAA insurance; you're spot on with the settlement description. I had to claim something in the past year, and since I've had such a good driving record with them, it didn't affect my premiums at all.

One thing to note for everybody - especially those in "deer country" areas: your driving habits become instinctual in these split-second decision cases...so the more you drive CONSCIOUSLY (fast or slow - drive carefully and with a purpose), the more instinctual good habits become. I speak from experience!!!

I've also been saving the damage photos from many of the "oh no I crashed!" "oh no, the deer/bear/car hit me!" threads, just to show people how great these cars really are - I, for one, am VERY glad I own a MINI!!

Good luck rr -- i hope it all turns out well for you and your MINI.

 

Damn deer. Such stupid animals. Dogs and even squirrels will usually try to avoid a moving vehicle. But not deer - they will change direction and move right in your path. We are overridden with them in NJ. Too bad we can't just take a large number of them out and sell the meat in the supermarkets or use it to feed the hungry. Animal rights folks don't like that though.