{"id":4393,"date":"2022-07-14T12:01:02","date_gmt":"2022-07-14T19:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/?p=4393"},"modified":"2022-08-29T09:26:41","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T16:26:41","slug":"hitting-an-animal-in-seattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/car-accidents\/hitting-an-animal-in-seattle\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happens After Your Car Hits an Animal in Seattle?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Seattle, Washington drivers have even more reasons to stay alert and make sure they have full coverage car insurance<\/a> than motorists elsewhere. The weather here can get challenging, there\u2019s stop-and-start traffic flow, and the main highways can get pretty congested. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there\u2019s the wildlife. Not right in the heart of the city, but as you move away from it, you can run (literally) into deer, elk, mountain goats, bears, and other large animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens if you run into an animal with your car? What\u2019s your responsibility? How can you be sure your car insurance company will pay for the damages? Your mind will probably be racing with questions, so we\u2019ve put together a few answers to get you through those tough few hours after hitting a large animal with your car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do I Have to File a Police Report if I Hit an Animal in Washington? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It depends on the circumstances. Let\u2019s handle the easy answer first. The unpleasant reality is that roadkill is pretty common. Squirrels, skunks, gophers, beavers \u2014 they get hit all the time, and no one files a police report. That\u2019s because there\u2019s usually no damage (except to the critter) and no impact on society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are several possible reasons to get the police involved if your collision is with another animal. If it\u2019s damaged and disabled your car, you\u2019ll want to try to get a police report to make your insurance claim easier. And if you\u2019ve hit a large animal, it might be dead or dying right in the way of traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, if anyone in your vehicle has been injured in the collision, you should definitely involve the authorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Steps Should I Take After a Collision With a Large Animal in the Seattle area? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Depending on your circumstances, when the unexpected happens, do the following, Remember that a large, injured animal may attack, so do not put yourself or anyone else in a dangerous position until you are sure it is safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get Out of Traffic <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s rule one. If your vehicle is still operable after your collision, pull it to the side of the road or as far out of traffic as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep Everyone Safe <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ask whether your passengers are okay. If not, call 911 immediately. If they aren\u2019t hurt, get them safely out of the vehicle and away from traffic flow if that\u2019s possible. Everyone can stay in the car if it\u2019s out of the way and there\u2019s little traffic on the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call the Police <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Place a 911 call to alert local authorities of your accident. Make sure the 911 operator knows that the animal is clogging a lane of traffic if that\u2019s the case. That might make you a higher priority. If no one is hurt and you\u2019re not in congestion, and depending on other factors, the department might tell you that they won\u2019t send a patrol car. Otherwise, wait for officers to arrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collect Evidence <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While awaiting help, take photos of the accident from various angles. Be sure to include the animal involved if it hasn\u2019t wandered off, injured. Get close-up shots of the damage to your vehicle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get a Police Report <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a patrol car does show up, you\u2019ll get a police report. This is an important document to have if you can get it because it will make it faster and easier to file your insurance claim. But many claims of this type are filed without a police report, so don\u2019t worry if you can\u2019t get one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drive Away, or Call for Roadside Assistance <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Once you contact the police and you\u2019ve dealt with your immediate problems, you can drive away or have your vehicle towed. If you have roadside assistance, you can call for a free tow to the nearest garage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

File Your Claim <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Call your insurance agent as soon as possible after the immediate threat has been put behind you. Your documents, including photos and a possible police report, will support your claim. But if there is no police report and the injured animal wanders off, your insurance company might send a claims adjuster to examine your vehicle. For that reason, don\u2019t wash off possible evidence in the form of animal hair or blood until you know your claim will be covered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact Wildlife Authorities <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You might still have a large dead animal that should be removed from the highway. Or perhaps it\u2019s injured and in pain. Here\u2019s who you should contact<\/a> in King County to get the issue resolved. It\u2019s the responsible thing to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Sure You Have Comprehensive Coverage Car Insurance in Seattle <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s certainly cheaper to only carry liability car insurance. That\u2019s the minimum amount of legal coverage, and it costs less than comprehensive and collision coverage. But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liability coverage doesn\u2019t cover your own vehicle. It only pays for the damage inflicted on other people and property if you\u2019re at fault for an accident. Your own vehicle? That\u2019s your problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you hit a deer, elk, or other large animals, the damage could be extensive. It\u2019s estimated that the average cost for vehicle damages due to wildlife collisions is $4,135. That amount comes out of your pocket if your car insurance doesn\u2019t cover it<\/a>. Would that be a financial hardship? It would be for many of us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, ask your insurance agent about adding roadside assistance, along with other full-coverage options<\/a>, to your policy. You\u2019ll be glad you did if your vehicle ever gets disabled in a collision with wildlife. (Or runs out of gas, gets a flat tire, won\u2019t start due to a dead battery, or leaves you stranded for countless other reasons.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way, it\u2019s legal to salvage dead deer or elk after a collision in the Seattle area. So if you have a truck and know how to dress wild game, maybe there\u2019s a somewhat happier ending to this tale after all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find Affordable Car Insurance Quotes in Seattle Today <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Call Vern Fonk Insurance at (888) 455-8276<\/a> to find the most affordable car insurance for your peace of mind. You can also visit an agent at your nearby Vern Fonk Insurance office location<\/a> in Seattle or get a quick quote online<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seattle, Washington drivers have even more reasons to stay alert and make sure they have full coverage car insurance than motorists elsewhere. The weather here can get challenging, there\u2019s stop-and-start traffic flow, and the main highways can get pretty congested.  Then there\u2019s the wildlife. Not right in the heart of the city, but as you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":4395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-accidents","category-car-insurance"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4393"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4415,"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4393\/revisions\/4415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vernfonk.confiedevstg.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}