Home Car insurance Coverage Does car insurance cover hitting a deer? Does car insurance cover hitting a deer? As long as you have comprehensive coverage, your insurance should reimburse damages if you crash into a deer. However, there are some important steps to take after an accident to ensure your claim proceeds smoothly. View Carriers Please enter valid zip Compare top carriers in your area Written by Chris Kissell Chris Kissell Chris Kissell is a Denver-based writer and editor with work featured on U.S. News & World Report, MSN Money, Fox Business, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Money Talks News and more. Reviewed by Nupur Gambhir Nupur Gambhir Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service. Updated on: November 8, 2023 Why you can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry. Even if you move a vehicle from the scene of an accident, your car insurance company will pay for the damage your vehicle sustained. An issue that may arise is whether you hit a deer or another object. The distinction determines whether your claim is filed under collision or comprehensive insurance. If you hit a deer, comprehensive insurance will cover the claim. If you crashed into something else, collision insurance will apply. You may have a different deductible for each type of coverage. Also, comprehensive claims don’t typically raise your future car insurance rates, while collision claims might if you’re found at fault. If you have a police report or a tow-truck driver or other unbiased witness can collaborate that you hit a deer — or the damaged vehicle has evidence showing you struck a deer — it shouldn’t be a problem making a comprehensive claim. However, if you say you hit a deer but have no proof, your car insurance company may investigate further. You’ll need evidence of a deer strike to make a comprehensive claim. Otherwise, your insurer may find you hit another object and turn this into a collision claim. For instance, if you swerved to miss a deer in the road and hit a tree, it would be a collision claim because you didn’t actually strike the deer. You should contact your car insurance company with your claim if you hit a deer, and make sure to provide evidence that you hit the animal and then had the car towed away for safety reasons. As a friendly reminder, the autumn months of October, November and December are generally the months drivers are most likely to collide with large animals, such as deer, elk, caribou or moose. State Farm issues an annual report on deer — and other animal — auto claims. It recently reported that there were 1.8 million animal collision insurance claims between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023. Drive safe and be alert for wild animals, especially at dusk and dawn, and near animal crossing signs. What happens if you hit a deer and don’t call the police? Failing to call the police after hitting a deer is understandable. The incident probably left you shaken. However, it is much better if you can calm your nerves and call the police right away from the scene of the accident. When the police respond, they create a record of what happened. This makes it much easier to successfully file an insurance claim. If you did not call the police immediately after the incident, do so as soon as you can to report the accident. Also, call your insurance company and let your insurer know what happened. If you delay in reporting the accident, any evidence you can provide to support your claim — such as pictures from the accident site — should help. One final note: In some states, it can be a crime if you leave the scene after hitting a deer. This is one more reason to report the incident promptly. Does liability insurance cover hitting a deer? No. Liability insurance protects you for damages to someone else or their property. It does not provide protection for your own vehicle. To cover your own car, you will need to carry comprehensive and collision insurance. Typically, the comprehensive portion of your policy would cover a claim involving hitting a deer. States do not mandate that drivers carry comprehensive coverage. If you have a car loan, your lender might require you to carry comprehensive. Otherwise, comprehensive coverage generally is optional. If you do not carry this coverage, insurance will not reimburse you if you hit deer. Does hitting a deer raise the cost of your insurance? While your insurance premiums might rise after hitting a deer, the is also the chance that they might not. The state you live in can play a big role in whether your rates climb. Hitting a deer typically is not classified as an “at-fault” accident. That means that in some states, your rates definitely will not increase. In other states, it will be up to the insurer to determine if higher costs are warranted. 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How to cut your car insurance bill in half Untangling your insurance during a separation or divorce My wife was half asleep when she went out to scrape snow and ice off her car. She used a snow shovel, not realizing she picked up the one with the sharp metal blade at the end, so she scratched the car all over. Will her car insurance cover the damage? As I was backing out of the driveway I hit a parked car that was parked beside the curb in the street causing what looked like mild damage. My vehicle had no damage. Will I have to pay a deductible? Taking the slow lane by storm: Insurance for low-speed vehicles Car insurance for blind drivers (you heard that right) Insuring your tricked-out, souped-up car See more > Frequently asked question Does car insurance cover deer accidents? Car insurance covers deer accidents as long as you have comprehensive insurance. Most drivers who have a car loan have this coverage, because their lender requires it. Even if you don’t have a car loan, chances are good that you carry comprehensive coverage unless your car is relatively old. However, once a car ages and its value plummets, some car owners decide to skip comprehensive coverage. This can save money on premiums, but it also means you will have to pay out of pocket for repairs that result from hitting a deer. What type of coverage covers deer accidents? Comprehensive coverage reimburses you if you hit a deer. Some people mistakenly think that because you “collide” with a deer, collision coverage would apply after the accident. But it is actually comprehensive coverage that protects you after hitting a deer. Comprehensive coverage provides protection for damages caused by events that are out of your control, such as hitting an animal. If you are injured because of hitting a deer, medical payments coverage or personal injury protection (PIP) coverage would help cover medical costs. So would your health insurance policy. Sources: State Farm. “How likely are you to have an animal collision?” Accessed October 2023. Progressive. “Does insurance cover hitting a deer?” Accessed October 2023. State Farm. “What to do when you hit a deer.” Accessed October 2023. Chris KissellContributing Researcher  . .Chris Kissell is a Denver-based writer and editor with work featured on U.S. News & World Report, MSN Money, Fox Business, Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Money Talks News and more. In case you missed it Best Car Insurance Companies of 2024 Car insurance rates by state in 2024 What is full coverage car insurance? How much does car insurance cost for seniors in 2024? A complete guide to adding a teenager to your car insurance policy in 2024 What to do after a car accident that’s not your fault Total warfare: What to do when your auto insurer totals your car Car insurance claims: Who gets the claims check? 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