Hit a deer... pics included.

**CplDaugherty** · 12-26-2007, 03:03 PM

Well I was actually going to wait until I got the car back to post up some before and after pics... but I just got a call from the shop that had me a bit concerned and I wanted to bounce my thoughts off everyone. But first the story...

So on a last min decision I decided to go home for thanksgiving. Boss told me to take a couple of days off because we had be working like dogs (always seems to pick up in the winter around here) so I hopped in the car and started towards Indiana at about 1:30 pm on thanksgiving day. My family was doing thanksgiving on friday, so I wasn't going to miss anything.
Well about 8:00 pm that night, 30 miles east of Columbus, OH, I was driving in the right lane doing about 70mph with a car and a semi in the same lane a little ways back, and 2 cars coming up hard on my left. All of the sudden, I see a deer come running out from the side. I hit my brakes hard and swerve a little to the left... I couldn't go all the way over, because I would hit the other two cars... so I see the deer jump (4 or 6 point buck if I recall... it was all a flash) and I decide to bite the bullet and just hit the damn thing instead of cause a 5 car pile-up.
BAM! I hit the deer, he goes flying god knows where and I let off the brakes so I don't get rear ended. I pull off to the side of the road and every idiot light comes on and the car dies. Well F***! I get out of the car, call the highway patrol and walk back to the nearest mile marker so I can give them my location.
I walk jump back in the car and try to start it up. Fires right up and runs like a dream. But my ESP/ABS/ and whatever that 3rd light is are all on. I get out to assess the damage and I see this:

By the way, this is stealth auto's hid kit... never had a problem with flicker, and apparently it can take a drop kick from a deer at 70mph and still work!

So I wait for the Highway Patrol to show up and they make a report just in case I need it for insurance. So I then get out and have to rip parts of the bumper off so that it won't rub on the tire while I'm driving. I knock out all the loose parts of the headlight (everything behind it looked good). And limp towards Indiana starting at 35mph and working my way up to 60. On the west side of Columbus the belly pans came loose so I had to get out and rip them off and throw them in the trunk. Oh and while I 'm driving out of no where I hit a blizzard. So I went from making record time to it taking about 2 hours more than usual.
So to get it home I decided it was time to make some redneck repairs to the car to get her the 550 miles home in one piece. So here's what me and Dad came up with:

Thats right, I'm sending those pics into nascar along with a job application, lol. So that got me home.

I found out insurance is going to cover it, after I pay my deductible. Welllllllllll... when I lived down in NC and was married... the only way my ex-wife and I could afford insurance on Military wages was to jack the deductible up to $500. So that's gotta come outta pocket.

But... as many of you remember I got my hands on a SRT bumper. So I went to a shop that BMFSRT works at and talked to them. They said that I would be reimbursed for the bumper if I supplied it. So we didn't talk numbers yet, but I'm hoping that will take a bite out of the $500 deductible. I also asked them to take the chrome caps off my C bumper (neither was damaged amazingly) and put them on the SRT, or at least give them to me so I could do it myself. So that's the little ray of sunshine in this whole story, I'm basically getting my SRT front end swap done for free (I hope).

Now they just called me and the lady told me they had to replace the "controller module" and some "wiring" because "evidentally chrysler has upgraded this part". I saved the tire sensor off the bumper before I modified it for the drive and gave it to them, so I don't think it was that. But she kept saying "bumper sensor". Now I've had that thing off about 20 times (thanks to some headlight mods ) and those are the only sensors I know of... Maybe she ment the ecm because of the warning lights??? Oh yeah, ever since I hit the deer my ABS, ESP and cruise control haven't worked... which made the blizzard in Ohio fun, lol.

Well the car should be ready tomorrow... I'm hoping that everything comes out ok. I'll have some pics up and a full report. I'm damn sure gonna go over that car with a fine tooth comb before I accept it from them.

**Motor** · 12-26-2007, 03:10 PM

at least you're okay and the car will be kicking ass soon

**miplank** · 12-26-2007, 03:27 PM

I think you should leave the hair in the tire!

**bklynmag** · 12-26-2007, 03:38 PM

Glad to hear no one was hurt.

**STAGE 3 R/T** · 12-26-2007, 03:50 PM

ouch man sorry to hear.

where is the deer at? i would be eating that mofo...

**BrilliantBlackHemi** · 12-26-2007, 03:57 PM

Wow, the car actually held up pretty well if you ask me. Hope to see it back on the road soon.

**jmckenzie** · 12-26-2007, 03:59 PM

glad you weren't hurt & I admire your skill with duct tape

**Hemi31** · 12-26-2007, 04:04 PM

That sucks......I hit a dear with my Hurst/Olds and just about totaled the front.

**CplDaugherty** · 12-26-2007, 04:11 PM

Thanks guys... Yeah I got lucky and hit it on the hop and not square on. Could've been ALOT worse.

I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow if I get her back in time.

**USCG Charger** · 12-26-2007, 04:26 PM

Sorry about ur car... happy that no one got hurt..... that tape job looks as good as I've seen in any nascar pit stop though.....

**hemiwagn** · 12-26-2007, 04:38 PM

Handled like a MARINE:

Originally Posted by CplDaugherty

Well about 8:00 pm that night, 30 miles east of Columbus, OH, I was driving in the right lane doing about 70mph with a car and a semi in the same lane a little ways back, and 2 cars coming up hard on my left. All of the sudden, I see a deer come running out from the side. I hit my brakes hard and swerve a little to the left... I couldn't go all the way over, because I would hit the other two cars... so I see the deer jump (4 or 6 point buck if I recall... it was all a flash) and I decide to bite the bullet and just hit the damn thing instead of cause a 5 car pile-up.
BAM! I hit the deer, he goes flying god knows where and I let off the brakes so I don't get rear ended. I pull off to the side of the road and every idiot light comes on and the car dies. Well F***! I get out of the car, call the highway patrol and walk back to the nearest mile marker so I can give them my location.

Well done Chris, I love the red neck repairs! Glad you are okay and that the car will be too.

Time for this little vid again...

**RocketJock** · 12-26-2007, 04:38 PM

Any Army or Marine grunt worth his salt knows how to work magic with "90 mile an hour tape" so the repair job thoroughness comes as no surprise to me. Improvise, adapt and overcome.

I know its tough to imagine, but from other deer damage I've seen, you should consider yourself lucky.

**CplDaugherty** · 12-26-2007, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by hemiwagn

Handled like a MARINE:

Well done Chris, I love the red neck repairs! Glad you are okay and that the car will be too.

Time for this little vid again...

Thaks buddy! Great video btw! I'm just glad it wasn't too serious.

**CplDaugherty** · 12-26-2007, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by RocketJock

Any Army or Marine grunt worth his salt knows how to work magic with "90 mile an hour tape" so the repair job thoroughness comes as no surprise to me. Improvise, adapt and overcome.

I know its tough to imagine, but from other deer damage I've seen, you should consider yourself lucky.

Well said.

I consider myself very lucky. Didn't really hinder my trip home (got to show my old man what the car can do with the sidewinder in it now lol) and she's been in the shop for less than 3 weeks. Most of all, no one was hurt... well except for that stupid deer .