engine and drivetrain Big Bumpers Vs. Large Doe At ~55Mph

[KFunk]

Yup, finally happened.  Such is the one problem with having a curvy backroad commute to work.

 

It was on the only big straightaway we have on the road.  I was going probably 65 to 70mph.  There was tall grass/woods above the road to the right, and the deer was galloping at full speed before I could see it.  I was maybe going ~55mph at impact.  The car really took it much better than I would've expected.  I couldn't feel it much, but that deer sure took a hard hit.  It spun around a time or two, and must've instantly snapped its neck/back, and it landed probably 20 ft. off the left side of the road.  It took me a while to find it, but it was certainly twisted up and long dead. 

 

I've already found a few people that have grills, and I'm going to try and bend the nose back into somewhat better shape and touch up the paint some.  It'll never be pretty, but it never was.  I might cut some metal off a parts car next weekend just in case I decide to have a body shop do a better job (i'm going to get windshield frame parts from that car anyways, for unrelated issue).

 

All in all, coulda been a lot worse.  It doesn't look like the hood or fender were damaged any worse than they already were.  That dent on the drivers side fender was there from when an SUV backed into me back in '05. heh.  The hood hasn't been aligned right since I put the refreshed engine in it.

 

 

[jgerock]

You were extremely lucky and the car does not look too bad for going that fast.  

 

Last weekend, my mom hit a deer going 50mph about 4 miles from their rural house in their 2010 Camry.  The deer jumped onto the hood and glanced off the windshield.  Airbags did not go off and my mom did not get hurt.  She drove the car home very slowly (hood kept popping open)! and took their other Camry (a 2006 that has been hit multiple times by deer) right back out into the night (she could not miss choir practice).   Talked to them last night - $ 6,000 in damage.  They just got the car 3 months ago.

[Andy74tii]

Everytime I start seriously considering euro bumper conversions, and then I read something like this post and I'm again on the other side of the fence.... especially if yours is a semi-daily driver and you live in deer country!

Andy74tii

[Jim_75Sahara]

Very glad that you are OK, Kevin.  I have never hit anything bigger than a squirrel. I hope that streak continues.  Best of luck setting everything straight!

[KFunk]

Yeah, it seems like I'm always dodging deer every day.  I've been lucky since the last time I hit one around 2003 with the Miata (which was primarily my fault, for going too fast through a blind corner, for you know, fun). 

I usually see at least 2 or 3 every day on the 10 mile drive to work.  I probably got a little too confident.  Usually they're being more slow and awkward about entering the roadway, and/or they're a decent distance from the road.  This one was going full speed and dropped straight into the road before I could do anything at all. 

 

While much of the weight of the deer looks like it rolled up into the grill (an 02 is short, and I do have the car lowered on H&R springs), it did seem like the big bumpers absorbed a good bit and protected the structural parts of the car.  It looks like the accordion was squeezed in just a bit, so the big ole shocks mustve done something.

[TobyB]

Yeah, I was expecting major carnage- that's just a love tap!

 

Usually the ones you hit are the ones you never see- they're running at full- tilt

out of the bushes.

 

t

[OriginalOwner]

  WOW, glad you're safe and the damage minimal.  That is heartpounding just thinking about it.

 

and I thought I had it bad when a ladder leg centerpunched my front kidney grill at 65mph...... but my as-installed '74 giganto bumper saved the day and kept the leg out of the radiator and everything else.

 

Cheers,

 

Carl

[2002Targa]

Sorry about the ride, but you DID have Venison for dinner right???

[KFunk]

I think the '02's non-aerodynamic body prevented some damage.  In more aerodynamic cars (like my Miata), you can take out the deer's knees and roll them up and over the hood.  With the '02, the slant of the nose kept the deer below the hood and took the brunt of it into the grill.

 

I'm going to see how well I can bend it back into shape tomorrow night (with the help of Johnson from the FAQ, who is coming over to borrow tools).  If I can get it close to presentable, then I'll be happy.  If it's a little bent up, then I won't feel so bad about bending it more whenever I hit another deer in a couple years.  No point in having a pristine front end.

 

Edited October 29, 2013 by KFunk

[KFunk]

Sorry about the ride, but you DID have Venison for dinner right???

Hah, didn't think about that until after I got to work and told my fiancee, and she suggested that I shoulda took it home.  I didn't know off-hand who to go to for processing it, though. 

[ray_]

OW!

 

GL with that!

 

:-/

[austinmf]

Hah, didn't think about that until after I got to work and told my fiancee, and she suggested that I shoulda took it home.  I didn't know off-hand who to go to for processing it, though. 

Google deer processing.... you can do it yourself... marinate the backstrap and it is just like a tenderloin...only not as tender.

 

Glad to hear you are OK and it was not a moose!

 

http://www.pianoladynancy.com/funnypics_toons/moose.htm

Edited October 29, 2013 by austinmf

[KFunk]

Google deer processing.... you can do it yourself... marinate the backstrap and it is just like a tenderloin...only not as tender.

 

Glad to hear you are OK and it was not a moose!

 

http://www.pianoladynancy.com/funnypics_toons/moose.htm

  I've helped friends cut up deer a few times.  I'm just lazy. 

 

A Møøse once bit my sister.

Edited October 29, 2013 by KFunk

[TobyB]

blech.  Makes good chili,  and nice soft gloves, but not much else.

 

We killed our share of them in the NE (mostly with cars- the Monza was one kill away from becoming an ace when it rusted in half)

 

and ate far too much chili.

 

Easy enough to dress- but again, how much chili do you need?

 

hee

 

t

[kbmb02]

blech.  Makes good chili,  and nice soft gloves, but not much else.

 

Growing up, venison was a late-fall addition to the menu for a few weeks each year. I liked/like it, though taste and tenderness of meat seemed to vary based on age of deer and their diet (that's what my Dad, the hunter, said). A generation before that someone brought home a bear cub .... THAT was a story. -KB

Edited October 29, 2013 by kbmb02