Fate

Source

So, last week, it being the last week of June, I had to take my ride in for a state inspection (if you want to whine about the need for such things, do it elsewhere). Went to the dealership (which is where I have my vehicle maintained and serviced for a long list of reasons, YMMV) and Blue¹ passed inspection with flying colors.

It was a gorgeous Friday morning (I took Blue in in the morning because, alas, that's all they had available), the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the temperature was nice and warm (we were not having one of those hot and humid days, which was good). But in the abundant fields of Aquidneck Island something was stirring.

As I headed north, watching life in all its glory, there, to my left (point marked "0" on the map above) a white tail deer had decided, for reasons known only to her, to break from cover, dash across a grassy field, leap a low stone wall, and almost (note the word "almost") dash safely in front of a passing motorist.

Source

The "X" above denotes approximately where the deer crossed the wall. She was then struck in her hindquarters by a late model sedan or coupe doing probably around 40 mph ("1" on the map above). This caused her to stumble, I believe she rolled at least once (bear in mind this all transpired in approximately 5 seconds or less) and then at point "2" above, she struck the front of my vehicle and went under the right front wheel.

It seemed like a long time as I listened to the poor animal thumping and crunching along the underside of my Pilot. I had been decelerating but not in time (obviously). Jamming on the brakes was not an option because, well, you had to have been there and seen the geometry of the event. There were also other vehicles on the road.

As I came to nearly a stop I looked in my rearview mirror and saw, in amazement, that the deer was trying to get up and run off. Considering all things, I thought that impossible. Hence the amazement. The deer was attempting to defeat death at "3" on the map.

Yes, there was some colorful language used during these events. Not as bad as some occasions I have employed various Anglo-Saxon terms to indicate my excitement/anger/surprise, but colorful enough.

The orange path on the map indicates my path after the deer strike, the car seemed fine. (Note the use of the word "seemed.") I pulled in at a local tourist attraction's parking lot ("4" above), which was empty that day and dismounted. My first thought was my vehicle.

A cursory examination revealed that the right front fender (mostly vinyl) was askew. Lots of scratches and deer fur were evident down the length of the right side of the vehicle, apparently (and I get it) there was much thrashing on the deer's part as she tried to avoid the terrible fate Nature laid upon her.

Thinking that the vehicle was okay, I walked out towards the road. The poor deer was down, and not moving, at the "X" on the map. She was quite dead, which really bothered me. I hate death only as someone who has seen it can. Especially the untimely death of an innocent creature such as that deer.

Now at this time, it's all over, the deer is a hazard to navigation, she was not a small creature, I'd guess a hundred pounds or more. So I thought to notify the local constabulary. I went with a "911" call as I hadn't really gotten my wits about me yet. As soon as I gave my location, the dispatcher asked, "Is this about the deer?"

"Why yes, yes it is."

"We've already been notified, but thanks for calling, Sir."

Thinking that now I have to look into getting some minor cosmetic repairs done, and thinking that I would call my insurance company when I got home, I absentmindedly got back into the driver's seat and started the engine.

The instrument panel indicated that, in no uncertain terms, my emissions system was All Effed Up (in laymen's terms). Okay, it said "emissions systems," I interpreted that as exhaust and a bunch of other things. Sensors, wires, and other things which a flailing deer, in her death throes, might reach out and destroy while struggling to stay alive. (Deer have very sharp hooves. DAMHIK)

So I called my dealership, told them I had hit a deer and that I was coming back and needed someone to come out and tell me whether or not my vehicle was safe to drive.

"Well Sir, I can make you an appointment ..."

"Look, you're not paying attention. I will be there in 15 minutes, have someone meet me outside the service department. Got it?"

Command voice works nicely, if you've got one.

"Yes Sir, see you in a few minutes."

When I got there, my service tech who had handled the state inspection came out and had a look. First bad sign, can't pop the hood.

"Hhmm, looks like the deer pushed the front grill in. You know Sir, that there are cameras up here and ..."

"Yes, I know that, which is why I'm here. Is my baby safe to drive?"

"Probably not."

We did get the hood open, popped shrouds and other things out of place, but nothing else of a sensor or wire nature seemed damaged. But when he hooked up his little computer to check engine codes and such, he turned to me and said.

"Yeah, there's a lot going on here. Can you take it around to the Collision Center?"

"Sure, no problem."

I had heard "can you go around" not "can you take it around." But after talking to the nice lady at the Collision Center, I brought Blue around. After that we got on the phone with my insurance company.

After establishing my bona fides, I let the two professionals slug it out. I did hear the Honda lady say, "No, I'm pretty sure the deer didn't have insurance." as she glanced at me with a wry smile.

Shaking my head, "I looked but the deer didn't have any pockets, or a purse."

Which confused the hell out of the insurance lady.

Eventually we got things squared away and Honda gave me a Ridgeline as a loaner, I got home about 90 minutes later than I had planned, but that wasn't bad for hitting a deer, getting Blue to the body shop, and then getting the insurance/repair process kicked off.

That Monday I had an email from an appraisal company which said that they would be calling me to make an appointment to look at my car. Fortunately the email had a phone number, which I called.

Seemed that the insurance lady, whom the Honda lady thought was rather a dizzy and confused person, had not told them that my car was already in the shop.

I wonder which part of "No, the vehicle is not safe to operate" she didn't understand.

Fortunately I had another guy from the insurance get in touch and he was much more squared away. When I got done telling him what happened he said, "Well, the lady I talked to who took your call on Friday seems to have gotten nearly every detail wrong."

"Ah, that's nice." I said. Though I'm old and I often tell the same story over and over again, I would at least hope that someone who answers phones and takes down information for a living would do a better job of paying attention.

Oh well.

Bottom line is, the deer did over five thousand dollars worth of damage. The insurance company has already authorized repairs and cut a check and Blue is in drydock for a week or so. Sigh ...

I felt really bad about the deer, but a friend (and co-worker) pointed out that the deer had been badly injured after being hit by the first car, me hitting her a second time was probably a merciful thing. And she's right ya know.

I suppose you can say that it was a good thing my being in that spot at that time.

But I also considered that if I hadn't stopped at the store to pick up some sodas immediately after leaving the dealership, I would have been nowhere near the scene of "deer meets car." I am often amazed at things like that, a minute here, a minute there, and Fate passes you by and affects someone else. Or reaches out and says "Hi there" in its outdoor voice.

Life can be like that.

¹ Which is the name I gave my 2020 Honda Pilot the day I bought her, one, she is blue in color, two, I was not feeling particularly creative that day. The name stuck, I like it, she likes it.