Does Car Insurance Cover Deer Accidents? | Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C.
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Deer Accidents and Insurance Disputes

Written by Jared Staver

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Jared Staver is a Personal Injury Lawyer based in Chicago, Illinois and has been practicing law for over 20 years.

Jared Staver

CATEGORY: Auto Accidents, Personal Injury


Picture this: you are driving down the road, and a deer suddenly jumps out in front of you. In this situation, it can be difficult to avoid hitting it head-on.

While hitting a deer is unfortunate, this type of car accident is sometimes inevitable. If you’ve recently hit a deer, you may wonder whether your insurance policy will cover the costs associated with repairing or replacing your vehicle. Read on to find out.

Deer Accident Statistics

Deer accidents in Illinois are often far more common than people realize. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 13,787 car accidents involving deer occurred in Illinois in 2020. Almost all these accidents resulted in property or vehicle damage, and over 600 resulted in personal injuries.

With the high volume of deer accidents that happen each year in Illinois, it’s vital to know how to recover from your injuries and repair the damage to your vehicle.

What’s the Best Insurance Policy to Ensure You Have the Most Protection?

If you are interested in protecting yourself from the damages caused by deer accidents, obtaining multiple types of insurance coverage is essential. The type of insurance coverage in question will extend to specific damages.

For this reason, you should consider adding comprehensive and medical payments to your auto insurance policy. Here is more:

Comprehensive Coverage Should Cover Deer Accidents

If you have opted for the optional comprehensive coverage on your insurance policy, you will be covered if you hit a deer. Comprehensive coverage will pay for a repair or replacement if your vehicle has suffered from damage when it hit a deer.

It’s important to note that for comprehensive coverage to apply, your vehicle must come into physical contact with the deer. If you swerve to attempt to miss a deer and crash, your claim turns into a collision claim.

Does Insurance Cover Deer Accidents?

Although liability coverage is required in Illinois, it does not typically pay for damages that arise when you hit a deer. It is intended to pay for coverage if you cause an accident, hurt someone, or damage someone else’s property. It does not pay for vandalism, theft, hitting a deer, or other damage to your vehicle that is not triggered by an accident.

Medical Payments When You Hit a Deer

Comprehensive coverage typically only covers the property damage to your vehicle; however, it does not usually include medical payments if you’ve been injured.

Most insurance policies offer optional medical payment insurance that is beneficial if you’re involved in an accident that is not covered by collision insurance.

If you were injured when you hit the deer, your medical payment insurance would pay your medical bills up to the amount specified in your coverage.

How to Prevent your Insurance Claim From Being Denied

Like all businesses, insurance companies are interested in making money by reducing their expenses and raising their revenue levels. Therefore, an insurer will deny a claim anytime they can justify it. However, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of a successful claim.

First, call 911 to report the accident. This ensures that you get the medical care you need and that the accident is well documented. You should also document your accident personally in a notebook or on your phone by taking pictures.

Finally, reach out to a personal injury lawyer. Studies have shown that 91% of cases with a lawyer received a more substantial payout.

Get Help From a Deer Accident Lawyer Today

If you have been injured in a deer accident in Illinois, you may be entitled to a settlement to pay for your damages and injuries. Contact Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. at (312) 236-2900 today for a free consultation from an experienced Chicago injury lawyer.

Our car accident attorneys serve clients throughout the Chicago area, including Aurora, Elgin, Hinsdale, Joliet, Naperville, and Waukegan. We will thoroughly investigate your insurance policy and specific situation to inform you of your options for compensation.

Since we operate on a contingency fee basis, it will not cost a penny for you to hire us for your insurance dispute unless we obtain a settlement or verdict.

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(312) 236-2900
(312) 236-2900
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