Accident with a (wild) animal: what to do?

Written by Olivier Duquesne on 07/27/2023

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Doe, deer, wild boar, wolf, fox, bird, goat, dog, cat, ox, donkey, sheep, horse… Animal collisions can cause significant damage to the vehicle – and cause trauma. How to react ?

Roadside wildlife and domestic animals are likely to cross traffic at any time. Faced with a situation that is unnatural and unknown to them, they constitute a danger for users and for themselves. The first human reflex is of course to try to avoid collision. Warning: legally you will be responsible if you lose control of your vehicle to avoid a wild or domestic animal on the road.

How to reduce the risk?

When driving, it is imperative to keep your eyes on the road, trying to look into the distance while scanning your gaze. In the city, an animal alone or one that seems difficult to control by its owner is a potential danger. In the countryside or in the forest, the animal can emerge from meadows, vegetation, dunes or woods. Suspicious movements of vegetation on the shoulders or, at night, glowing eyes are possible signs of game crossing. Particular attention must be paid to hedges, forest edges and the edges of agricultural fields. Wild animals are most active at dawn and dusk. In the presence of “game passage” or “livestock presence” signs, always be prepared to brake or slow down.

How to react to an animal already on the road?

You have spotted an animal on the road or along the side of the road. Slow down and stay very vigilant. If necessary, stop. A blast of the horn tends to scare the animals away. On the other hand, at night, high beams can freeze them in fear, try switching to low beams to help them escape. If the animals are on the road: stop with your hazard lights on (to warn other users), leaving the low beams activated in low visibility and wait for them to leave. Keep an eye on your mirrors. If an approaching vehicle does not seem to understand the situation, give short jerky taps on the brake pedal to make your brake lights flash and encourage it to stop. Do not get out of the vehicle! If necessary, call 112 or, in Belgium, 101.

How to react if an animal suddenly appears?

If the animal suddenly appears, brake! Animals can have very different reactions: some will freeze, others will continue on their way trying to speed up their pace and others will try to turn around suddenly, or even flee ahead of you. A wild boar, for example, will tend to continue on its way, or even face you, while a doe will try to flee, sometimes by making a jump to retrace its steps. For birds, some will try to gain altitude to overcome you. It is therefore not always easy to guess their reaction(s), hence the importance of vigorous braking to quickly lose speed and limit damage to the vehicle and injury to the animal. case of collision. Furthermore, by wanting to avoid it, you could make the situation even worse, for you and for the animal. So, if a collision seems inevitable, brake hard and hold the steering wheel firmly with both hands while continuing in a straight line. If there is a possible escape route, absolutely safe and without any danger, fix it and change course without sudden movements. When changing direction, do not focus on the animal or any other obstacle.

In case of shock: how to react?

If the impact was unavoidable , the first precaution is to try to place the vehicle in safety with the hazard lights on and to monitor the state of health of the people on board, if necessary to reassure them (especially children) . Call emergency services immediately at 112 or, in Belgium, at 101, even if the (injured) animal was able to escape. Never intervene on an injured animal. If it is an animal under the supervision of a person or a group of people, avoid their escape and try to quickly obtain their contact details (possibly license plates). Any accident with game must be reported to the police (mandatory). Then, it will depend on the situation:

If the solitary animal is no longer there or has died (without any hesitation) and your vehicle is in an accident: get out of the vehicle, with a safety vest, place the triangle and wait for the police and emergency services in a safe place (behind the safety guardrail, on a mound or sidewalk, or a few dozen meters in front of the accident vehicle on the side of the road). Caution: Seriously injured persons CANNOT be moved from the vehicle unless there is a fire hazard. Try to take photos, without putting yourself in danger, of your vehicle, the animal and the premises for your insurance file, or even to collect testimonials.
If the animal is no longer there, but was traveling in a pack or herd and your vehicle is in an accident, make sure that they have all left the scene of the accident before getting out of the vehicle ( a dominant male or the mother of a young could be aggressive and charge). Then follow the following instructions: go out wearing a safety vest, place the triangle and wait for the police and emergency services in a safe place (behind the safety guardrail, on a mound or sidewalk, or a few dozen meters in front the damaged vehicle on the side of the road). Seriously injured persons CANNOT be moved from the vehicle unless there is a fire hazard. Try to take photos, without putting yourself in danger, of your vehicle, the animal and the premises for your insurance file, or even to collect testimonials.
If the lone animal is injured (even if it appears dead) and your vehicle is in an accident, be very careful. Only exit the vehicle with your safety vest if you can keep a sufficient safe distance from the animal. Don’t go near it. He can be very aggressive. Even a seemingly harmless animal can seriously injure you with a defensive burst with its paws, beak, horns, claws or teeth. Be even more attentive with a predator (wolf, lynx, fox, dog, cat, bird of prey), a horse, a bull or a wild boar. Once the area is safe: get out of the vehicle, wear a safety vest, place the triangle and wait for the police and emergency services in a safe place (behind the safety guardrail, on a mound or sidewalk, or a few dozen meters in front of the accident vehicle on the side of the road). Seriously injured persons CANNOT be moved from the vehicle unless there is a fire hazard. Try to take photos, without putting yourself in danger, of your vehicle, the animal and the premises for your insurance file, or even to collect testimonials.
If your vehicle is not damaged or can still move (simple knock on the windshield or bodywork for example), find a safe place to check its general condition. It may be necessary to remove the body if it is embedded in one of the elements of the car after the collision. Try to take photos of your vehicle, the animal and the premises for your insurance file. If one or more lights subsequently come on on the dashboard, there is probably blood, feathers, hair or body remains in at least one mechanical element. Try to identify the cause of the alert based on the lit icon on the dashboard. If you cannot or do not dare to do what is necessary, call a repairer . Never leave with a disabled or alert vehicle. If you leave the premises, the police must be notified of the incident within 24 hours to hope to obtain insurance intervention (some companies are more flexible with a 48-hour deadline).

What to do after the collision?

Even if you are not a fervent animal rights activist, killing or injuring a living being is a traumatic episode, including for passengers, especially children. It is important to be able to talk about it calmly afterwards. First between witnesses to the accident then with relatives who did not experience the event. This allows you to release stress through talking. If the bad memory turns into trauma, a recurring nightmare or anxiety attacks, it is essential to call on a therapist specializing in psychological disorders. Another aspect not to be neglected will be the insurance file .

Who is responsible ?

You must remain in control of your vehicle. However, the sudden nature of the appearance of an animal may be unforeseeable, a case of force majeure or linked to the behavior of people in the presence of animals (hunters, riders, breeders, owners, walkers). Thus, a livestock animal on the roadway which has clearly escaped the supervision of its owner will be the responsibility of its breeder. It’s the same thing for domestic animals, their master is responsible for their behavior. However, a rider, hunter, farmer or dog owner can always defend themselves by claiming reckless or aggressive driving, for example. If there was a “game” or “livestock” sign on the section, it will be more difficult to obtain insurance compensation in the event of a collision with an animal, since this could be “foreseeable”.

How to be compensated by insurance?

Insurance compensation depends on whether the animal is domestic or wild. In any case, you must have notified the police within 24 hours of an accident involving a wild or unsupervised animal and, in all cases, make at least a declaration to the insurance company (accident report) in a time varies depending on the company. So don’t delay! It is always good to be able to provide testimonies, photos and a description of the places.

Wild animal (game) or unidentified animal (large animal): if the collision took place with a free animal on the public highway, the omnium or mini-omnium generally covers the damage, with or without excess. This also applies to a broken windshield after a collision with a wild bird. In the absence of specific conditions for animals in the contract, the “force of nature” clause may be used. Insurance will not cover damage linked to an accident after swerving to avoid an animal (without touching it). Mandatory liability will compensate the victims (and therefore also the passengers), but it does not cover material damage. Another situation may give rise to specific compensation: a wild animal disoriented because it is being stalked by a hunter or a group of hunters. If this is the case, it will be up to the hunting liability insurance of the hunter or the organizer of the hunt to intervene. Please note : the insurance could in all cases consider that the appearance of the animal was predictable if the road was marked with the A27 danger sign “game crossing”.
Domestic animal : here the animal is raised by a human being. The latter is therefore responsible for any damage that may be attributed to his animal. He will have to use his professional (farmer/breeder), sports or family insurance. It should be noted that some insurance policies include large livestock in “collisions with animals” or “collisions with animals” in their omnium or mini-omnium. If the owner is not identified, you will have to file a complaint with the police. If it cannot be found (no chip or animal not found), the insurance will not be able to intervene, except in the case of an omnium or a specific clause in the mini-omnium.
In the event of injury to the driver, it is the driver’s insurance that will come into play. There is also a Common Automobile Guarantee Fund for bodily injury, provided you can prove the unforeseeable nature of the collision and that it took place on Belgian territory.