Audi S8 vs. Deer

Accumulator · 11-30-03, 06:02

Last Wednesday, Accumulatorette and I were in the S8 travelling south through West Virginia on I77. A young deer jumped over the guardrail from below my line of sight and trotted across the highway in front of us. With a couple seconds to respond, I was able to avoid hitting it and it made it across the highway. But then a SECOND deer, a LARGE doe did the same thing, but with HER I didn’t get the same few seconds. She was just *NOT* there, then *RIGHT THERE*, jumped over the guardrail into my lane RIGHT in front of me. I clearly remember seeing her left eye. I only had time to steer right/left (truly a split-second response), but I managed to JUST bump her on the rump. She seemed to be uninjured, or at least not seriously, and she, like the first one, made it across the highway (moving like she was OK), despite rather heavy traffic that had come up behind us. The aluminum S8, however, took quite a hit. Funny that the car suffered so much more apparent damage than the animal.

I pulled over and assessed the damage: primarily cosmetic- hood, front bumper cover, left fender. The FUNCTIONAL damage was limited the left head/fog/turn signal lights and the left sideview mirror. I removed the mirror with my ParaTool so it wouldn’t flop around and scratch the car, and pushed the remains of the headlight back into the fender. And I checked that the hood was gonna stay latched.

When we arrived at our destination, I effected some field-expedient repairs: I removed the broken headlight parts, unplugged the related electrical connectors, and taped them up and out of the way. I covered the gaping headlight hole with cardboard and taped it all up with first electrical, then black duct tape (tip: electrical tape often sticks better to slippery surfaces than duct tape does). I cut back the wires that went to the sideview mirror and taped them up so they wouldn’t short out the circuit if it rained or I had to use the defroster.

This afternoon (Sunday), we made the drive back without incident, though we got home early so as not to have to drive at night with only one headlight.

Observations:
- What happened was MY FAULT, or at least, MY RESPONSIBILITY. If I’m driving the vehicle, whatever happens to it (wildlife, other drivers, meteorites), it’s MY job to deal with it. No excuses. I dealt with the first deer OK, but not the second one.
- Had I not taken driving courses at places like Skip Barber and Bondurant, my wife and I would probably be dead. I automatically did the right thing under stress, as I was trained to do, and that was the ONLY thing that could’ve worked under the circumstances. Had I hesitated to “think”, and/or hit the deer square-on, or worse yet, applied the brakes and THEN hit it (think weight-transfer/nose dive), it would’ve gone through the windshield- GAME OVER.

Bill D · 11-30-03, 06:21

Thank God everyone is alright. I know of someone who wasn't so lucky when her Lincoln Navigator was totaled by deer. They are rampant here in NJ. I just saw a load of them looking for food on a football field near a wooded area not very far from a major road.

Last winter one made an appearance in my backyard and I'm not really near any woods.

Those driving schools are looking very attractive to me about now.

marktheshark · 11-30-03, 06:29

With all the deer here in NE Ohio, you had to go to WV and get one!?!

Glad no one was hurt...

2wheelsx2 · 11-30-03, 06:34

Glad you're ok, and I agree 100% that driving schools can make the difference in those extreme situations. I've done plenty of motorcycle ones, and want to take a car one soon.

andriver · 11-30-03, 06:49

I am glad you and the mrs. are fine. Don't worry "It'll buff right out".

blackmagicgti · 11-30-03, 10:28

My friend hit a deer (luckily a small one) at around 50-60 mph on an country road. By the time we saw it, it was already hitting the car. It's head hit the A-pillar and snapped its neck (with the speed and way it hit off of the passenger corner of the car).

The car was a Honda Accord Wagon. Thankfully it hit the A-pillar and not the window (as I was the passenger). I couldnt open my door and the right front and fender were totalled.

I live in Independence, a suburb with limited woods, and there is a family of 7 deer that use my backyard and development despite the fact that it is less than 100 yards from a major road and less than 1/2 a mile from a major highway.

Glad to see you came out okay. NE OH has WAY too many deer!

kcarter · 12-01-03, 06:37

Always check for the second deer. It seems to be, without fail, always there waiting to cross the road as you or right after you react to the first one.

I have started to make it a point to keep it slow after I see one to avoid the chances of an incident with a second animal.

AkronSi · 12-01-03, 06:43

Glad to hear that you and your wife are ok. I was a couple cars behind someone that hit a deer a couple weeks ago in Montrose and had a coyote run out infront of me just last week.

In that case, I wasn't really in danger of hitting it. But, it definately gave me something to talk about.

I hope you can get your car fixed in a timely fashion. The S8/A8s will always be my favorite of all the large German sedans.

SamIam · 12-01-03, 07:22

Glad to see you're alright. Deer are a problem this time of year and it always seems its the second one that gets you.

Good thing you were in the S8, probably one of the few cars out there that would allow you to make the manuevers you did to escape harm.

My A8 looks pretty good right now compared to a more economical Lexus ES300.

SamIam

PrinzII · 12-01-03, 08:36

Glad you are all right, man. I recall a guy with a 2002 Maxima that hit a deer head on. The car suffered $11,000+ worth of damage.

But not to change the subject, I am also interested in taking a few of the courses and definitely want the future Mrs to take one.
I have been eyeing Bondurant for quite a while.

Lynn · 12-01-03, 07:31

YOWEEEEEEEeeeeeee my friend! :scared I'm really bummed to hear this story! Living out here in the boonies, I'm constantly afraid of the thundering herds ... So far, I've been lucky, and I'm just sorry your luck ran out. Of course, I'm also sorta tickled at how you gave us the low-down on all the ameliorative steps you took after the accident. What an Autopian!

You and Accumulatorette are my heroes.

Accumulator · 12-02-03, 08:48

Thanks for the sympathetic replies.

Yeah, the driving schools REALLY are a good idea. Accumulatorette and I did them after she wrecked my Benz (braking when she shoulda been steering) back in the early '90s, including the three-class progression (High Performance Driving, Grand Prix Roadracing, Advanced Roadracing) at Bondurant. Since then, we have both avoided quite a few accidents as a result. And yes, the Audi WAS the right car to be in if it was gonna happen.

Lynn- Yeah, as soon as we got to the Greenbrier I was out there cleaning the area with alcohol-based window cleaner (to clean a little of the fresh and oh-so-slippery P UPP off) and a MF, fashioning my patch, trimming the tape just right, etc. A family stopped to watch, and their college-age son (an Audi A4 driver) was pretty

about the car and how I was dealing with it. It garnered a fair amount of attention all weekend, and I must admit I think it looks sorta cool in a been-and-done/tested-tough sort of way. Heh heh, people sure got out of my way on the drive home!