Oh Deer!

Glad you’re both OK, Moggy.

We had almost exactly the same accident last summer, returning from Waddington on the A11 near Thetford. Muntjac deer vs. Volkswagen Golf at 60mph resulted in one dead deer and the loss of both main and air conditioning radiators, which leaked all over the lay-by we pulled up in. This was about a week before we were due to trade in the the Golf for a new car, as well…

Hi Moggy, sorry to here about your recent attempts at getting close to nature. Hope all is soon mended (except the deer, which might be a bit far gone!).

Strangely, the only time I have been in a car that has been hit by a deer was also near Lakenheath. Maybe this is a secrurity measure ELP has suggested. Mine was many years ago and luckily was only a young deer. It still did quite a bit of damage though.

Another deer story happened (not to me) on the A1 near Cottesmore.

Two of our supervisors were heading North on the A1 at about Midnight and were travelling at about 70mph. A large (very large!) deer walked out in front of them and WALLOP. The car, an Escort estate, was written off. Both occupants amazingly surviving without injury. Having exiting the car, they could see that the deer was still alive, and was trying to crawl back into the field alongside the A1. Sadly, both it’s hind legs were broken, at it was clearly in a lot of pain. The conversation between driver and passenger went something like this

Pass. “maybe we should try to put it out of it’s misery”

Driv. ‘any ideas on how we go about doing that?’

Pass. “well, we could try hitting it with something”

Driv. “I’ve just hit it with a Ford Escort at 70mph and that didn’t kill it, what do you suggest we use!!!”

The RSPCA were called, and dealt with the situation accordingly. The car was eventually repaired at great cost, and then using logic that only the railway can provide, sold as surplus for a fraction of the cost of repair.

Best wishes

Willow

Moggy

You appear to have come out of this reasonably well, although the cost appears a bit excessive, but I suppose that’s par for the course these days.

Out here, we don’t have deer to worry about, but we have ‘roos, emus, and, ummm, wombats… and cattle – any of which can decide that they have right of way over you. (In the country at least, in the cities, thankfully, the only problems are wayward bloody dogs!!!) Those of you who have ever met a roo or cow on the road at speed will know the damage they can cause to a car.

However, the one thing I found when touring Britain a few years back is that you don’t go equipping your cars with “deer bars” or somesuch, to protect your cars from the wildlife. Unfortunately, in Oz, many elements of the motoring community, particularly those driving four wheel drives, think that you simply MUST have a “bull-bar”, a bloody great iron, steel or aluminium monstrosity mounted, truck-like across the front of the vehicle, to protect your precious investment against wandering wildlife. Many of these vehicles never venture off road and see little activity outside built-up areas, but they are considered “macho” with the younger males and some others.

To put it bluntly, they are an obscenity and generally totally unnecessary. The damage they cause in collisions with smaller, unprotected vehicles is pretty awful. I would much prefer the situation which prevails in the UK.

Regards

Wombat:(

Originally posted by Moggy C

Thought about picking up the carcass but by the time I’d wound off the speed I was a good long way down the road and I wanted to keep going in case the radiator had been punctured. Anyhow didn’t fancy it bleeding all over the boot. Could have draped it over the front I suppose, but that sort of thing is not really done here.
Moggy

Did you scoop up the remains of the deer and eat it?

Originally posted by SteveYoung
I like your way of thinking… 😀

Not just mine.

Did I ever mention that our esteemed hosts have KEY 1, also recreatable with gaffer tape? 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉

Moggy

Not very good at deer spotting (obviously), but not a Muntjac, the next one up in the size chain.

Roe Deer?

Moggy

Originally posted by Moggy C
Handy too, if the plate falls off you can always create a new one with strips of gaffer tape 😉

I like your way of thinking… 😀

Glad to hear you came through it unscathed, even though the deer (muntjac I presume, in your neck of the woods?) and Puma suffered varying degrees of battle damage.

I know those back roads reasonably well – the olds live in Rickinghall, and if I don’t like the idea of the A14 I sometimes take the MG for a tootle through Ely and Breckland. I’ve lost count of the times a muntjac has come bursting out of the foliage a few hundred yards ahead of me. Thankfully it’s always far enough ahead to serve as nothing more than a reminder that things live in the woods, and they don’t always conform to the Highway Code…

Anyway, hope Mrs Moggy and the Puma make full and speedy recoveries. 🙂

Can’t complain really. At the speed I was travelling it could have been a bit dramatic but the deer was running fast (else I’d have seen it with a bit more time) and was quite low to the ground, so no damage to the bonnet (hood) or lights (pricey).

But unfortunately the radiator is wrecked and has moved back, plus the thrmostatic fan seems to be dead to, so there will be some rejigging to be done under the bonnet before the the plastic nosecone and spoiler can be refitted and resprayed to match the rest.

Not a personalised plate as such, just one I bought as I like six digit plates, which was all that was around when I started driving, and didn’t want to end up with one of the new ones. The car was always going to be X registered, so eventually the idea of ‘Roman Numerals’ came to me. Handy too, if the plate falls off you can always create a new one with strips of gaffer tape 😉

Better than MOG 6Y or X123 MOG anyway – always feel that sort of stuff is a bit not me 🙁

Mrs Moggy has M11XXM

Thought about picking up the carcass but by the time I’d wound off the speed I was a good long way down the road and I wanted to keep going in case the radiator had been punctured. Anyhow didn’t fancy it bleeding all over the boot. Could have draped it over the front I suppose, but that sort of thing is not really done here.

Thanks for all your good wishes, now comes the tussle with the insurers etc.

Moggy

Forgot to add I am glad you are ok and the car got minimal damage as I have seen a cars front end written off because of a deer splat.

Hi Moggy,

Any chance you can claim damage expenses from the estate from which the deer was roaming.

I know that in Scotland if you hit a deer you can either take the carcass as payment and thereby give up any right to claim insurance or you can claim off the estate insurance to cover the damage as they are liable.

I should think it would be the same in England. I think it may be different if it is a private road but if it was a public road then I think I am right.

Hmmm. Maybe it wasn’t an accident. Could be an increased security risk. The deer may have been mind controlled to step out at that time and cause you injury. Fortunately the explosive device malfunctioned. I suggest changing your route to and from work each day, alter your schedule, break up any routine you may have and increase your security awareness to potential threats. Fortunately your superior training got you out of this one. Be careful.

🙁 Sorry to hear about this (But at least yourself and Mrs Moggy are ok, I wouldn’t be a happy Spitfire polisher if something happened to you two)

Ashley

Wow pretty costly damage Moggy. Doesn’t look real bad from the outside, but obviously has done more underneath.

That Poor Deer.

Your No. plate… Personalised by any chance????

Glad to hear you are OK thought Matey.

Thanks for that Kev.

Mrs Moggy isn’t too good. This is but remotely linked to the deer incdent in that I was solo, heading homeward at around 70 Kts when the poor Bambi decided it was safe to cross the road.

Mrs Moggy had left work early as she was poorly.

However since the poor old Puma could stagger no futher than Lakenheath village (Radiator had taken major deer damage) I had to ring her at home and she dragged herself from her bed of pain to recover me to Chez Moggy.

Almost bought some venison steaks from Mr Sainsbury for tonight’s BBQ 🙂

Estimated damage? Around £1,100 (Maybe $2,000)

Moggy

Very nasty, and I presume deadly for poor old Bambi.

Hope yourself and Mrs Moggy are suffering no ill effects as a result of your er…. altercation.

Regards,

kev35