I hit a deer with my car, will they make me pay a deductible when I turn it in to the insurance company?

Question

My brother-in-law has hit a few animals and he said that the insurance company considers them an act of God so he never had to pay deductibles, is this true?

Answer 1

this is very true, it depends on what state you reside in. IE in the state of south carolina, the state is liable if you hit a deer on a major highway in their state.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

There are ways around paying the deductable. The bad thing about hitting a deer is that it is considered to be "An Act Of God". If you do not have full coverage your insurance company WILL NOT pay for the damage. Most people only have liability so when a tree falls on their car or they hit a dear the insurance says it is an act of god so they dont have to cover it.

Alot of car repair/ body shops will cover a certain amount of the deductable. For example the total bill is 4,000 dollers and your deductable is 500. They will bill your insurance company 3,500 and then give you a 500 doller discount after they bill it. Call and check around and shop for the best price.

Answer 4

If you have comprehensive coverage on your vehicle with a $0 deductible, then no, you won't have to pay one. I've never heard of an insurance company waiving a deductible for hitting a deer. Most people who have comp coverage on their vehicle have a deductible and most insurance companies will not list comp claims as "at fault" so they won't affect your premiums either.

Answer 5

Read your policy. If you have a deductible under your comp. coverage then YES -- but you only have to PAY when the car is repaired. A deductible is an amount of money that is 'deducted' from the amount the insurance company pays for repairs or total loss settlement.

Answer 6

I've only seen what your brother in law is speaking of when the insured actually CHOSE coverage with no deductible for comprehensive. However, you have to check your policy to see if it provides a deductible waiver for hitting an animal, which by the way, is NOT an act of God.

Answer 7

In the contract you sign with your insurance company it says you pay a deductible whenever you file a claim through them regardless of who's fault it is.

Now, sometimes this deductible will be waived as a courtesy when your insurance company knows they can get their money back from the at fault parties insurance through a process called subrogation (therefore not losing profit).

So, unless you hit a rich deer who is admitting fault for running into your car- the insurance company is not going to loss profit just to be "nice" to you .

Answer 8

It's true only if your policy says so.

Hitting an animal is covered under your comprehensive coverage, not collision. Comp often has a lower deductible than collision. Maybe your friend had no deductible on his comp coverage.

Answer 9

Yes, you have to pay the deductible. Sometimes it may be cheaper to not go through your insurance so your premium won't go up, but it depends on how much damage was done.

Answer 10

If all you have is comprehensive insurance that covers you damaging someone elses property, they will pay you nothing.

If you have full coverage, including collision, they will pay, LESS the amount you chose for deductible.

Answer 11

yes you will pay the deductible however you don't have to look very far to get your body shop to add the deductible to the repair find the shop that will do that and have that shop give you courtesy bids for the other estimates