What happens if you hit a deer with your car in U.S?

Question

Do you have to call the police?

Answer 1

No. I hit two. The first one was in my little compact car at about 35 and it was a small deer. A little damage to the plastic grille, never even got it fixed, threw the dead deer in the trunk to hang and field dress at home, called a game warden the next morning to report (they want to know the county it was in) and get a permit to possess (you aren't allowed to keep the hide or head, they must be discarded). The permit was mailed to me.

This was in PA, and you have to know the laws of your state. A few years back, I could have been arrested for poaching. You weren't allowed to put a deer in your trunk UNTIL you had a permit.

The second time, I was going quite a bit faster and the deer was much larger. I had the van, though. I only saw the head for an instant before (thumpthump) I ran completely over it. I stopped, I looked, I drove back and forth--that sucker managed to get away.

The real problem isn't the law. The real problem is if you throw an animal in your car and it's only stunned.

Answer 2

If you hit a deer with your car in the U.S., you don't really have to do anything. You should only call the police if you happen to want to call the police, for insurance reasons, or if someone is hurt. You can take the deer home, some people do, or you can drag it off the road. You might really want to dispose of it ( the deer corpse) if it is endangered, although I'm pretty sure you have more of a chance of hitting a person than an endangered deer. Oh, and you might want to clean the blood off your car and take it to the body shop.

Answer 3

First, make sure you are ok.Second, make sure your vehicle is ok. Your radiator may leak all of its fluid, etc. If one of those have a problem, you will have to call for help. If the deer was slightly injured, it will probably be gone and you will not see it again. If the deer is so injured that it is still around, you may have much damage to yourself or your vehicle. If the deer is gone, you can't do anything about it regardless of who you call. So don't call anyone about the deer. If the deer is injured, or is still alive, but can't get away, call the Wildlife Dept. if you are able. That will psychologically make you feel better anyway. If this happens in the middle of the night, you may call the police IF you want to (about the deer) if it makes you feel better. Take care of yourself and your vehicle. Call family or friends for psychological support. Most likely you will not feel very good about hitting a deer with your car regardless of where you are.

Answer 4

In Ohio, you contact the State Highway Patrol, the County Sheriff or the County Game Warden and your insurance company. The government authority gives you a special permit authorizing you to possess the animal; the insurance company treats the accident as a comprehensive claim rather than as a collision.

I had a deer jump into my 1989 Honda Accord, and the above is what I did. When my wife hit a deer with our 2002 Honda Civic, she was too shook up to do anything but limp the car home (power steering had a moderately severe leak), and by the time she drove by the same area in our other vehicle, someone else had already picked up the deer and got the venison. As I said above, the insurance company treated the accident as a comprehensive rather than a collision claim.

When I hit deer with my 1986 Ford Ranger, on two separate occasions, I had minor damage each time and couldn't find the deer; so I did nothing but go on to my destination. However, this was when they *still* made trucks out of steel instead of a thin coating of metal over plastic.

Answer 5

It depends on what happens. If the car and the deer are OK, you don't have to call the police. I don't know if you necessarily have to call the police in certain circumstances, but typically you would want to call the police if there is any damage to your car. That way you can have them write and give you a police report to turn in to your insurance agent. This just helps your insurance claim get handled faster than if you don't have a police report.

Answer 6

If your car is still able to operate, you can carry on. If the deer is dead and you want the meat, (yes, some people do it...) you have to have a game warden come to the scene and tag it for you.

If the deer is dead, move it off of the road. If it's wounded, the most humane thing to do is call the police and wait for an hour to have some fat cop come out and shoot it six times before he kills it. (Happened to a female coworker).

Answer 7

You could call the police if u want to. I would get the deer, get the car to a shop, contact my insurance, get to my kitchen as fast as i could, and cook the deer, for a very dear deer dinner.

Answer 8

You should call the police or animal control so that they can remove the deer from the road if necessary. That way no one else will hit the deer. It's unlikely that you would get in trouble unless you are driving in an area you aren't allowed or if you are under the influence.

Answer 9

Under Iowa law you are required to remove the animal to the side of the road and call the police/hiway patrol. If you leave the deer you are responsible for any other accidents, etc. that may incur. This can amount to quite a lot of money in lawsuits.

Answer 10

the same thing that happens if you hit a deer in canada, haha. yes you should call the cops. they will notify the wildlife people that there is a possible injured deer near a road, just tell them where you hit it and if the deer is dead or not, that way if the deer is injured they can move it or help it so no one else hit it