Deer Car...

Deer and Vehicles do not mix. Why? NOBODY WINS!

Last night I had a run-in with a deer. At first I thought it was a dog, but the impact was considerably more than I am sure a dog would give (plus, I have not yet seen dogs on the side of the road, thank goodness). I'm not sure what caused this deer to careen across the highway right in front of my car... perhaps he/she had a death wish? Maybe it was a daredevil... perhaps it freaked out seeing 8 headlights heading towards the same spot, four from either side, and panicked. Or, perhaps it saw my car and figured it could use a fur coat for the winter... either way, we collided, and neither of us came out unscathed.



Anyway, it went like this. I was on my way home from a baby shower, everything was Honky Dory, life was good, it was dark outside, I could see the yard light for our farm and started to slow down already. Then... out came the brown blur. I remember saying "WHOA", braking like crazy and hoping the thing wouldn't come through the windshield (since the car isn't terribly high). Anyway, the car swerved after the thing gave my car a good kick for hitting it and taking a fur souvenir without asking. Baby M started crying in the back seat, and all I could do was try to console her while pulling onto the shoulder and putting the car in neutral (after trying to give her gas and hearing her tremble... not to mention the smell of coolant leak). I was so close to home in fact, I was able to coast all the way into my normal parking spot. Not bad, eh?


Don't worry, we are both fine. Hubby was outside when I pulled up and helped me remove our child, who was much better after having come to a stop. I've already filed a claim and we've removed everything that was in the vehicle as well. Baby M started running around the house, happy as a clam, the second I put her down, so I'm sure she is fine. I have a small, but persistent, headache... probably more from tensing up than anything else. Don't worry, we'll both be visiting a chiropractor soon enough.

This car eats deer for breakfast... but then it goes into a coma and, although it starts, it won't drive.

Notice the lovely fur remnants. I still don't think either the car or the deer had anything to gain... just a lot to lose... like the fur in the grill and the pieces of headlight on the road.

The drivers side has almost no damage. The air bag didn't go off, and since nobody was sitting in the passenger seat, that one didn't either. It did look rather funny coasting home seeing the hood like that. And I can't help but wonder what the other drivers thought... there were two cars oncoming, and one or two behind me. I swerved quite a bit (still staying between the lines, though, as I had slowed enough). The car behind me slowed down as though it was following me until I turned into my driveway... probably to see if I was alright.

Ah, my poor car. You've served me well these last... 3 1/2 years. Alas, you will not drive unless you are fixed up, and since you are leased, I don't see that happening. At least the engine got an impromptu breezeway! :)

I don't think I'll be going too many places in the next week or so, until we get a new vehicle. Mainly because I don't wish to drive the truck. Also, we may need to get a new car seat (although they say it may be fine for us to keep the one we have. If we get a new one, it has to be similar and we need to bring in the receipt to be reimbursed for it). Sigh.

I'm making this my project 365 photo for today, day 165... unless I take another pic later that I prefer.

I'm actually OK with the whole ordeal. I have a lot to praise God for.

1. Both the munchkin and I are fine.

2. I was right near the house so I didn't even need to call anyone to get me home. Plus, there was less impact due to my having started slowing down already.

3. The deer was small.

4. God kept me from panicking. I remember thinking that I felt considerably more calm than I would have ever imagined from something like that.

5. We needed to look for a different vehicle soon anyway as the lease on this one was up the same month I'm due to have our second child. And we were hoping for a van (or something similar at least). So, this is sort of a blessing in disguise. God knows what He is doing.

6. It happened when on my way home instead of on my way out. That is very important to me for some reason.

7. I was planning on cleaning the car thoroughly today... and now I don't have to! :)

So there you have it... my not-so-little blurb about my not-so-fun ordeal last night! Perhaps I will go have a soak in the tub while the munchkin is taking her nap.

Edit: As for the deer, I am not sure if it lived or not. It is not on the side of the road, there was no blood on the car or the side of the road, and I did see it just keep on running, so I don't know. To be honest, I'd rather it die quickly than suffer from a major injury, which it may have. Or maybe they have deer chiropracters?