Collision
Monday started off like most other Mondays, well other than all 3 girls were sick. I had just gotten back from the fishing show all weekend and headed to work early. That way I could take over dealing with the kids and Amanda could work. The only problem with that is she was sick with the flu by the time I got home and it destroyed our house for a week. The real problem with Monday was one singular urban deer that decided to come flying out of a neighborhood in the dark at 100mph. I didn’t even have time to put the brakes on but at least we were going slow. Impact on the right front part of the truck and I pulled into to an industrial business to check out the damage. Not great, that was for sure but I was grateful for it to be drivable. I wasn’t sure if I was going to need a police report for insurance. It was nice to be able to send a quick text to my agent Todd Elliott and get confirmation that I didn’t need one.
The only upside to this could be some venison so I swung back around a few times but the deer was no where to be seen. No blood on the vehicle, just the damage and some hair. I think its likely that deer could have made it and I was glad to not be watching an animal suffer with no means/legal permission to end it. I continued on my way to work, called the claim in, and got plenty of options of Farm Bureau approved body shops. I did want to do a little research on reviews and locations before I started calling around. I settled on Doug’s Body Shop in Spring Lake and to my surprise they could get me in that afternoon for an estimate.
It was nice knowing that I was covered for a rental vehicle and Farm Bureau would even arrange it for me. Having a bunch of down time would have been a big concern for our busy family. I got the call from Doug’s the next day that I could bring my truck in. Doug’s had a Ford Fusion for me to drive in the meantime which was much appreciated. They hoped to have me back on the road by next week. I timed it just right as we were in between winter storms.
Fast forward to Friday and I was already picking up my ride within the week. The repair looked great and I was amazed to be back on the road so soon. Nothing was ideal about having a car/deer collision but this whole process was as painless as it could possibly be. I maybe had 5 minutes of my life invested into one phone call with Farm Bureau to make the claim. Alex from Doug’s was as pleasant and professional to deal with as it gets. I didn’t have to spend any time dealing with documents or spending time getting things approved. The post hunting season interior detail was much appreciated too. I’m grateful to be back on the road and can’t thank my agent Todd Elliott, Farm Bureau Claims, and Doug’s Body Shop in Spring Lake enough for making it a smooth and painless experience.