{"id":156,"date":"2026-08-31T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/?p=156"},"modified":"2026-08-16T15:33:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T21:33:09","slug":"does-auto-insurance-cover-damage-caused-by-wild-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/does-auto-insurance-cover-damage-caused-by-wild-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Auto Insurance Cover Damage Caused By Wild Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At Gill Insurance Advisors in Plainfield, IN, we hear this question a lot, especially during seasons when deer and other animals are more active on the roads. Animal encounters on and around your vehicle can cause serious damage. Knowing whether your auto policy actually covers that damage could save you from a very unwelcome and unexpected bill.<\/p>\n<h2>When Comprehensive Coverage Comes Into Play<\/h2>\n<p>Animal damage is typically covered under comprehensive insurance, not collision. Comprehensive is the part of your policy that handles damage from things outside of a standard car accident, including weather, theft, and contact with animals. If you only carry liability insurance or your state minimum, you likely do not have any coverage for animal damage at all.<\/p>\n<h2>What About Hitting a Deer?<\/h2>\n<p>Hitting a deer is one of the most common comprehensive claims filed by drivers each year. As long as your vehicle actually made contact with the animal, that damage generally falls under comprehensive coverage. However, if you swerved to avoid the deer and hit a guardrail or another vehicle, that situation would likely be handled under collision coverage instead.<\/p>\n<h2>Do Not Forget About Rodent Damage<\/h2>\n<p>Mice, squirrels, and other small animals can cause serious damage by chewing through wiring, hoses, and insulation in a parked vehicle. Most comprehensive policies do cover this kind of damage, though your deductible and specific policy details will always factor in when you file a claim.<\/p>\n<h2>Call Us Today to Learn More<\/h2>\n<p>Animal damage is more common than many drivers realize, and having the right coverage can make a real difference. At Gill Insurance Advisors in Plainfield, IN, we are happy to review your policy and make sure you are protected. Reach out to us today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Gill Insurance Advisors in Plainfield, IN, we hear this question a lot, especially during seasons when deer and other animals are more active on the roads. Animal encounters on and around your vehicle can cause serious damage. Knowing whether your auto policy actually covers that damage could save you from a very unwelcome and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[27,12,11,24,10],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-auto-insurance","tag-auto","tag-gill-insurance-advisors","tag-in","tag-insurance","tag-plainfield"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":157,"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions\/157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gillinsuranceadvisors.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}