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Prius vs. Deer at 68MPH - both earned the "ex" prefix

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by rumpledoll, Feb 18, 2009.

  1. rumpledoll

    rumpledoll Member

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    We were traveling in our 2007 Prius from NJ to Florida with wife, husband (me) and two children in the back. My wife was driving at ~9:00AM on a decent morning in South Carolina when, at 68MPH in a 70MPH zone, a deer decided to jump in front of the car. My wife handled not losing control of the car very well, but I did scream "NO BRAKES!" at one point and she simply steered the car to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Well done!

    Nobody had the slightest scratch, apart from the deer (chunkified is the technical term) and the poor Prius.

    We heard from the insurance adjuster, the car is a total loss. I've attached pictures (not gross, for those worried and with a weak stomach) of the damage. The repair bill has 3 big items, replace inverter, replace engine harness and replace evaporator assembly and many, many smaller items. All add up to more than $16,000 to repair. Frankly I don't want a car that needs $16,000 in repairs.

    We are happy that we weren't hurt and the Prius certainly did well helping my wife keep control at that speed (did VSC go off?) and protecting us from harm.

    Rumple
     

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  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Glad everyone was uninjured (the deer not withstanding). The car looks fixable...I bet Jelloslug is drooling to get his hands on it!
     
  3. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    I would buy your salvaged car in a heartbeat. That one would be an easy fix.
     
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    That doesn't look like much damage for a 68 mph deer hit. Deer collisions are very common in our area, and most look a lot worse than that. I'm surprised the repair estimate is so high.

    If you want to see a "chunkified" deer, you should see one hit by a school bus: "Is that a piece of lung under there...."

    Tom
     
  5. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    I have seen pics from a few deer accidents where the deer came through the windshield and was basically puréed. :eek:
     
  6. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Yes, those are bad. There are also cases where the deer comes through the window but is still alive and kicking. They have sharp hooves.

    Tom
     
  7. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Deer must be soft!
    A roo hit by a truck, not a pansy toy truck but a road train will die on impact but often they don't even bleed. It usually takes a second hit to break them up.

    I thought the damage looked pretty minor, I'd have a go at fixing that. Was the assessor looking for a Prius? I have seen them load an assessment to be able to buy a cheap fixer upper for themselves.
     
  8. jelloslug

    jelloslug It buffed right out!

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    That one being totaled seems to be par for the course in the US. I keep a watchful eye on the salvage auctions for the next great deal and it is astounding will salvage a car. There is an '09 with less than 3000 miles that is going up for auction with about the same amount of damage near me in the next few weeks.
     
  9. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Of course if they get a good price for the wreck and pay out a small price to the insured they do OK writing it off.
     
  10. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    All depends on the size of the deer, speed of impact, etc. Up here , deer tend to be bigger. Here is a photo of a Worcester County, Massachusetts Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor after hitting a deer at approx 85 mph

    Go Rhino Push Bumper Saves Sheriff Lieutenant from SWPS.com

    Oh, forgot to mention there are guts and other organs stuck to the Go Rhino push bar . This appears to be the video

    YouTube - Cop Car Vs Deer - Warning Gross!

    :sick:


    Another nasty one

    snopes.com: Deer vs. Durango

    A transport truck, very gross

    Semi Versus Deer "I bet you hit a deer tonight". Buffalo, Ny

    This woman was incredibly lucky after hitting a moose. She should have rushed out and bought a lottery ticket

    snopes.com: Moose Story

    Moose vs car usually ends badly

    Car-moose crash claims life of one person

    Transport trucks have been knocked off the road, driver killed, after hitting a moose

    I was riding in my co-workers 2006 Range Rover HSE when we popped a small deer on the way to my hobby farm. It did almost $5,000 in damage to the front end, but the Rover was still driveable
     
  11. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Ever see a train hit a moose? That's a somewhat different story.

    Tom
     
  12. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Train vs moose

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd-4JL_L4ro&feature=related]YouTube - train vs moose[/ame]

    Choo choo vs cows. I guess those things on the front were called "cow catchers" for a damn good reason

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nieK4GHov-Y&NR=1]YouTube - Cow vs. Locomotive[/ame]

    Cows aren't very smart, even with the choo choo going "whoooo whooooo!"
     
  13. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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  14. snead_c

    snead_c Jam Ma's Car

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    This must be Red Prius Season...last week a friend had a similar encounter :

    Wilma's Deer 2.JPG

    Wilma's Deer 3.JPG

    Wilma's Deer 4.JPG
     
  15. rumpledoll

    rumpledoll Member

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    I also googled car vs. deer and found many horrid stories and videos. We feel lucky that none of us were hurt (car excepted) and thanks to everyone for the kind words and thoughts.

    The repair estimate is very long and the damage is much worse than the pictures show. The inverter is smashed backwards in the engine compartment and slightly twisted. The front A/C condensor and radiator are smashed, twisted and shoved out of the way. It's a mess with deer guts and bones splattered about - I doubt anyone would enjoy the initial cleanout work.

    We will be buying a 2010 to replace this Prius as we absolutely love the Prius.

    Rumple
     
  16. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Now it isn't like me to go off subject but maybe this touches on why people want bull bars banned in cities in Australia. I have changed 1 word in the following quote, see if you think the bullbar on the police cruiser is a great idea. This was suposed to be an ad for the bull bar. I admit that when hitting an animal on the highway a bull bar might be a great help but ...
    Can you guess which word I changed?
    I have to admit, if you hit a person at 85mph they are going to die, but the more damage a vehicle does by design at 85mph the more damage it does at 35mpg.
    It could just as easy read like this.
    Great in the country but they suck in the city.
    OK, back on topic.
     
  17. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    You raise a good point, however I see nothing wrong AT ALL with police equipment using any means possible to reinforce their cars to withstand ramming.

    Thanks to very liberal crime laws passed in 2003 – the Youth Criminal Justice Act – we now have 12-16 year olds stealing cars, and purposely mowing down pedestrians and ramming police cars

    Problem with any modern car, there really isn’t a “bumper†anymore. Even the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor “bumper†is a piece of plastic filled with foam.

    Any youth car thief knows the best way to disable a pursuing police car is to throw their vehicle into reverse, ram the police car, which punctures the rad and the cop car is out of commission

    God help the cop who actually pulls out his gun and fires at the fleeing stolen car. Might as well just prohibit cops from carrying guns. As a civilian, I certainly have no right to defend myself in this country

    You can also compare crime stats of where I used to live – Utah – to Canada in general and Manitoba in particular. Seems everybody had a handgun in Utah, yet there is a far lower incidence of car theft

    We have a real problem here with youth violence and especially gang shootouts, car theft, etc. It does appear those kind have all the rights, if you’re a victim here you’re screwed

    Is it tragic when a child wanders out into traffic and gets nailed by a car? Yes, of course it is. Is it tragic when a fire truck responding to a false alarm nails a kid who steps out between parked cars? You bet it is. Is it tragic when the child’s crack smoking mother is passed out instead of looking after her kid?

    See, it’s a two-way street here. Nobody looks at the other side. There is a lot of crime and violence here that is simply hidden from view, not part of the official stats. What I find *really* interesting is the dramatic upswing in Missing Person reports. A man or woman goes to work, and just …. Disappears.

    Very interesting, that.
     
  18. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Very sorry dude but very glad for the wife & kids. See you back soon with that 10.
     
  19. Mr Incredible

    Mr Incredible Chance favors the prepared mind.

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    That sucks! Our condolences. I'd hate to hit a dear in the CRX, I'm sure I'd wind up with an up close and personal interaction with it in microseconds. Almost had one run across the highway in front of me one morning...it was a close call. It would have been much worse for the guy on the fastbike going around me in the adjacent lane.

    I hit a smallish deer in the truck at 70mph. It only required a replacement bumper, thankfully.
     
  20. Qlara

    Qlara New Member

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    I wonder why the Inverter will need to be replaced?
    The damage seems cosmetics mostly (Hood, bumper, headlamps).....Did the frame got bended too?! (It'll be a Wow if Yes).