How to handle a deer collision and file the insurance claim

You hit a deer at dusk, the hood is bent and the deer is in the road. The wrong assumption is that this is a normal accident: it is paid under comprehensive coverage, not collision, and in most states it is not your fault. State Farm counted over 1.6 million animal collision claims in the year to June 2026, with November, October and December the worst months. Here is what to do, in order.

Pull over, switch on the hazards and stay away from the deer

Get the car onto the shoulder and turn on the hazard lights. Do not touch or approach the deer, even if it looks dead. An injured deer can kick hard enough to break bones. If it is still alive and in a lane, call the police non-emergency line or your state wildlife agency rather than trying to move it yourself.

Call 911 only if someone is hurt or the car cannot move

If anyone is injured, the car needs a tow, or you are not sure what to do, call 911. If no one is hurt and the car drives, Pennsylvania does not require a police call, and most states are the same. A police report still helps the claim, so call the non-emergency line if you have time. If another car was involved, exchange license and insurance details exactly as you would in any crash.

Photograph the damage and the scene before moving anything

Take photos of every dented or broken part, the deer, the road, and any hair or blood on the bumper. That last one matters: the adjuster uses it to confirm an animal strike rather than a hit and run, which would go under a different coverage with a different deductible. Note the time, road and mile marker.

Check the car before you drive off

Look for leaking fluid, a hood that will not latch, a broken headlight, a tire rubbing the wheel well, and steam. Any of those means a tow, not a drive. Driving a car with a leaking radiator to save a tow fee turns a 4,300 dollar repair, the average deer claim the Pennsylvania Insurance Department cites, into a replaced engine.

Call the claims line and file under comprehensive

Call the claims number on your insurance card and say you hit a deer. Damage from an animal strike is paid by comprehensive coverage, which is optional, so check your declarations page if the agent hesitates. You pay the comprehensive deductible, usually lower than the collision one, and the insurer pays the rest. Pennsylvania treats a deer strike as a not-at-fault incident, so the premium should not rise; ask your own state insurance department if you are told otherwise. Upload the photos and the police report number if you have one.

Decide what happens to the carcass

A dead deer on a state road is the highway department's job: in Pennsylvania call 1-800-FIX-ROAD. If you want the meat, most states issue a free salvage permit, and the clock is short. In Pennsylvania only residents may claim a road-killed deer, by calling 1-833-PGC-HUNT within 24 hours of taking it, and a dispatcher issues the permit number on the phone. Where chronic wasting disease rules apply, the head and backbone may not leave the disease management area. Other states have their own numbers and windows, so search your wildlife agency's site for "road-killed deer permit" before loading anything.

If you swerved and hit a tree or another car instead. That is a collision claim, not comprehensive, and it may count as at-fault. This is why every state agency says brake hard and stay in your lane rather than swerve.

If you have liability only. There is no coverage for your own car. Get a written repair estimate anyway, because a body shop will often price a bumper and headlight for far less than the dealer quote. The claim steps for a flooded car are in how to file an insurance claim for a flooded car.

Sources. Pennsylvania Insurance Department, deer collision reminder, Pennsylvania Game Commission, deer crossing roads more frequently, State Farm animal collision data, 2025 to 2026.