With the arrival of warmer weather, especially here in Michigan, the deer start to move around more and often end up in our roads and on occasion become the cause of an accident. When you hit a deer and have damage to your car you can claim it if you have certain coverages. Most car/deer claims fall under your comprehensive coverage. If you have Broad form collision and are insured with Auto Owners, they will cover the repairs with no deductible.
After hitting a deer, call your insurance agency and let them know what happened. They will need to know when and where it happened, what vehicle you were driving, who was driving and what damages were caused. They will advise you of what coverages you have and what, if any, deductible you will have. The next step is to take it to a repair shop, of your choice, for an estimate. Gone, are the days of having to get 2 estimates. Once the estimate is completed your insurance agent needs to receive a copy of it to file the claim. If an insurance company feels an estimate is too high or too low they will assign an adjuster to go and look at the damages on the vehicle as well. They will work together with the repair shop to settle on a price if they disagree. Once a price is agreed upon the insurance company will pay the repair shop minus any deductible which is the insured’s responsibility. Hopefully, you don’t find yourself needing to file a deer claim but if you do, you will now know what to expect and what the process is.
Keep your eyes open when traveling especially at dusk and dawn.