Had a similar close call with hail near Rapid City—luckily dodged the bullet (or ice chunk, rather). Makes me wonder, has anyone actually had luck claiming damage from those random deer encounters insurers love to dance around? Seems like a gray area...
Had a deer run-in near Sioux Falls last year—insurance actually covered it under comprehensive, no hassle at all. Just had to provide pics and a quick statement. Might depend on your insurer, but it's usually pretty straightforward...definitely worth checking your policy details.
Had a similar experience myself a couple years back, though mine was less "majestic deer encounter" and more "rogue raccoon kamikaze." Driving home late from Rapid City, pitch dark, middle of nowhere...you know the drill. Out of nowhere, this chunky little guy decides to sprint across the road at precisely the wrong moment. I swerved (probably shouldn't have), clipped him anyway, and ended up scraping along a guardrail. Not my finest moment.
Anyway, called up my insurance next morning feeling pretty sheepish, expecting some hassle or at least a raised eyebrow over the phone. But nope—turns out these animal-related incidents are surprisingly common around here. Agent didn't even blink (or at least didn't sound like it). Just asked for some photos, quick description of what happened, and that was about it. Covered under comprehensive, no drama, no fuss. Honestly, I think she was just relieved it wasn't another deer claim—apparently those rack up quite the numbers around here.
Funny thing is, when I took the car in for repairs, the mechanic chuckled and said, "Raccoon, huh? That's a new one this month." Guess deer really do dominate the wildlife collision leaderboard in SD.
Definitely agree with checking your policy details though—I've seen some folks surprised when they realize comprehensive isn't automatically included. And trust me, you don't wanna be stuck footing the bill after an unexpected wildlife showdown... raccoon or otherwise.
Yep, animal collisions definitely keep us busy around here. Deer are by far the most common, but you'd be surprised—I've seen claims involving everything from raccoons to turkeys and even porcupines. You're right about comprehensive coverage too; people often assume it's bundled in automatically. It's always worth double-checking your policy details, especially in a wildlife-heavy area like ours...it saves a lot of headaches later. Glad your raccoon encounter turned out okay.
Definitely agree with you on double-checking comprehensive coverage—it's easy to overlook since most folks focus on collision. One thing I'd add is to also check your deductible amounts. Lower deductibles mean less out-of-pocket after hitting wildlife, but slightly higher premiums. Had a client recently who didn't realize their deductible was $1,000 until after a deer ran out in front of them...ouch. Glad your raccoon incident wasn't worse, those little guys can cause surprising damage for their size.
