Hitting an animal while driving is always an upsetting and stressful experience. If you recently ran over a raccoon, you likely have a lot of questions about what to do next. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through all the recommended steps to take after accidentally hitting a raccoon with your car.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Stop and check if the raccoon is still alive. If it’s injured but alive, call animal control or a wildlife rehabilitator for assistance. If it’s dead, move it off the roadway.
Then, assess your car for damage and monitor yourself and any pets for potential exposure to rabies.
Stop Immediately and Check on the Raccoon
If you hit a raccoon with your vehicle, the first thing you should do is stop immediately. Pull your car over to the side of the road and put your hazard lights on to alert other drivers. Rushing off after hitting an animal can be considered a hit and run, which carries legal penalties in some areas.
More importantly, if the animal is still alive, you will want to check on it and get it medical attention if needed.
Approach the raccoon cautiously. Raccoons can bite and scratch when frightened or injured, so keep your distance initially. If the raccoon runs away, do not chase after it. If it remains still, slowly move closer while talking softly to help calm the animal.
Look for signs of injury such as limping, labored breathing, or bleeding. If the raccoon is badly hurt but still alive, you may need to contain it carefully, using thick gloves, until wildlife authorities can arrive.
A lightly injured raccoon may be able to limp away on its own. If so, allow it to leave while continuing to monitor its movements. Severely injured raccoons that cannot walk likely need veterinary care.
In many areas, wildlife rehabilitation centers are equipped to treat injured urban wildlife like raccoons. Call local animal control or a wildlife rehab center for assistance containing and transporting the injured raccoon.
In addition to humane reasons for stopping and checking on the struck animal, there are health considerations as well. Raccoons can carry diseases like rabies, so you will want confirmation that the animal you hit did not have rabies.
Local authorities can arrange for testing, which will also bring you peace of mind if the raccoon you struck had no concerning illnesses.
While hitting a raccoon with your car can be upsetting, stopping to help the animal and get it care demonstrates compassion. By taking the proper steps after an accident, you can potentially save a raccoon’s life and avoid legal issues.
Being responsible afterwards makes a difficult situation a little easier to accept.
Remove the Raccoon from the Roadway
Hitting a raccoon with your car can be a traumatic and unfortunate experience. However, it’s important to act quickly and responsibly if you find a raccoon injured or deceased on the road after an accident. Here are some tips for safely removing a raccoon from the roadway:
Check for signs of life
If the raccoon is still alive but immobile, it may be stunned or in shock. Approach it slowly and look for signs of breathing and movement. Making some noise can help startle it back to alertness. However, never touch or attempt to move an injured raccoon, as they may bite or scratch in self-defense.
Contact animal control
If the raccoon is deceased or severely injured, contact your local animal control department or wildlife rehabilitation center. They have the proper equipment and training to handle disposal of the body and can assess if an injured raccoon needs medical attention.
Give them the precise location so they can promptly respond.
Move a deceased raccoon off the road
If animal control cannot immediately respond, you may need to move a dead raccoon yourself to prevent any traffic hazards. Be extremely cautious, as raccoons can carry diseases transmittable to humans even post-mortem.
Wear thick gloves and use a shovel, bag, or large towel to maneuver the body fully off the road and onto the roadside. Avoid direct contact with blood or fluids.
Mark the location
Whether you move the raccoon or not, mark the area with road flares or flags to make other drivers aware of the potential hazard. This also signals the location for animal control to follow up.
Disinfect your vehicle
Thoroughly clean your vehicle to remove any blood and bodily fluids. Use protective gear like gloves, mask, and goggles during cleaning. Disinfect with an enzymatic cleaner then sanitize with diluted bleach. This helps eliminate the risk of contracting diseases.
Report the accident
In many states and local municipalities, you are required by law to report hitting a raccoon or other animal over a certain size. Call local law enforcement’s non-emergency line or department of transportation to file an accident report. Provide details like location, damage, and actions taken.
Hitting a raccoon can be an upsetting experience, but following these proper steps helps ensure roadway safety. Remember to always exercise extreme caution when approaching an injured wild animal. With some quick and careful action, you can resolve the situation responsibly.
Look for Car Damage and Get It Repaired
Hitting a raccoon with your car can potentially cause damage that needs to be repaired. Here are some tips on inspecting your vehicle and getting any necessary repairs after a raccoon collision:
Inspect the Exterior
Carefully look over the exterior of your car to spot any obvious damage. Check the front grille, bumper, hood and windshield for cracks, dents or broken pieces. Examine the sides and rear end as well. Raccoons are fairly large animals, so the impact may have caused body damage.
Check Under the Hood
Pop the hood and inspect the engine compartment. Look for any fluid leaks, damaged hoses, or loose parts. Strike a raccoon hard enough and it could puncture the radiator or rupture other components. Leaking fluid on a hot engine can cause a fire, so address any leaks quickly.
Look for Less Visible Damage
There may be damage you can’t see just looking over the exterior. Take your car to a repair shop and have them put it on a lift to inspect the undercarriage. The force of the impact could bend suspension components or the subframe. A damaged undercarriage can make your car unsafe to drive.
Get an Alignment
Even if there’s no visible damage, have your wheel alignment checked. Striking a raccoon can knock your wheels out of alignment, causing uneven tire wear and handling issues. Most alignment shops can get your wheels properly realigned in under an hour.
Repair Any Body Damage
If you find cracks, dents or other obvious exterior damage, take your car to an auto body shop. They have the tools and expertise to pound out dents, repair cracks with filler, and respray areas to match the original paint. This will help restore your car’s appearance and value.
Address Mechanical Damage
For any issues found under the hood or the undercarriage, take your car to a mechanic or dealership service department. They can diagnose issues and either repair or replace damaged parts. Only drive the car again once critical components like the radiator, suspension and steering have been checked and repaired as needed.
After a raccoon collision, inspecting for damage and getting repairs is critical. A compromised structure or mechanical issues can make your car unsafe. Getting repairs also protects your investment by maintaining proper operation and the vehicle’s value.
Disinfect Your Car to Prevent Disease
Hitting an animal while driving is never a pleasant experience, but when that animal is a disease-carrying raccoon, extra precautions need to be taken. Here are some tips for disinfecting your car after running over a raccoon to help prevent the spread of dangerous diseases:
Wear Protective Gear While Cleaning
It’s important to protect yourself from potential infection while cleaning raccoon remains from your car. Wear disposable gloves, goggles, and a face mask if available. Avoid touching your face and wash your hands thoroughly after removing gloves.
Remove and Dispose of Remains Properly
Use a stiff brush, garden shovel, or other tool to remove any raccoon remains from the undercarriage and bumper areas of your car. Double bag the remains in sealed plastic bags and dispose of them in the garbage – do not compost. Raccoon carcasses can spread diseases even after the animal has died.
Disinfect the Impact Area Thoroughly
Areas where the raccoon made contact need to be thoroughly scrubbed and disinfected. Use a stiff brush and hot, soapy water to scrub the bumper, undercarriage, tires, etc. Follow up by disinfecting with a 10% bleach solution or other disinfectant registered to kill rabies.
Disinfect the Interior As Well
Even if there’s no obvious interior impact, it’s a good idea to thoroughly clean and disinfect the footwells and any other areas raccoon bodily fluids could have reached. Upholstery and carpets can be cleaned with an upholstery shampooer and then disinfected with an appropriate anti-microbial product.
Watch for Signs of Infection
Monitor yourself and any passengers for signs of viral or bacterial infection in the days and weeks following the incident. Flu-like symptoms, respiratory issues, rashes, and neurological problems could indicate diseases like rabies, raccoon roundworm, or leptospirosis.
Seek medical care immediately if any concerning symptoms develop.
By properly disinfecting your car, wearing protective gear, and monitoring your health, you can help protect yourself and others from dangerous diseases potentially transmitted by raccoons. Take the situation seriously and act cautiously when cleaning up to avoid any further issues.
Monitor Yourself for Rabies Exposure
If you have had direct contact with a rabid or potentially rabid animal, it is crucial that you monitor yourself closely for any signs of rabies infection. Here are some important steps to take:
Wash the Wound Thoroughly
If you have an open wound where the animal made contact, wash it right away with soap and water. Scrub the wound gently with soap for at least 15 minutes. This can help reduce the number of viral particles and lower your risk of getting infected.
Get Medical Attention
See a doctor as soon as possible after a potential rabies exposure. They can assess your specific situation and determine if you need rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). PEP involves getting a dose of rabies vaccine, as well as a shot of rabies immune globulin around the wound site if it is available.
PEP is highly effective if administered promptly after an exposure – estimates suggest it prevents rabies in nearly 100% of cases. But timing is critical, so don’t delay seeking medical care.
Get Your Rabies Vaccinations
If you have not been vaccinated for rabies before, you should receive a dose of rabies vaccine as part of PEP. Additional vaccine doses are given on a schedule over 14 days. People who have been previously vaccinated may not need this full vaccine series.
Consider Rabies Immune Globulin
This is an injection given in and around the wound site to help neutralize any rabies virus that may have entered your body. It is most effective when given promptly after exposure. Whether it is recommended will depend on the type of contact that occurred.
Report the Incident
Contact animal control or public health officials to report the incident with the animal. Providing details can help them track the rabies risk in your area and alert others who may have been exposed to the animal.
Look Out for Symptoms
Rabies has an extremely long and variable incubation period. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several years after exposure for signs of rabies to develop. That’s why it’s essential to complete the full PEP vaccine series as prescribed.
Be on the lookout for early symptoms like fever, headache, nausea, and fatigue. Rabies is almost always fatal once clinical signs appear.
Coming into contact with a rabid or potentially rabid animal can be an unsettling experience. But by acting quickly and getting proper medical care, you can protect yourself and prevent any chance of developing this dangerous disease.
Don’t take chances – take steps right away to safeguard your health after encountering a suspect animal.
Contact Your Insurance Provider
Hitting an animal with your car can be an upsetting and stressful experience. However, it’s important to know the proper steps to take after colliding with a raccoon to protect yourself legally and financially.
Here are some tips on why you should contact your insurance provider if you run over a raccoon:
Determine If You Have Coverage
The first step is to review your auto insurance policy or speak with an agent to determine if you have coverage for hitting an animal. Comprehensive coverage will typically pay for damage to your car after a collision with a raccoon or other animal.
Without this coverage, you’d have to pay out-of-pocket for any repairs.
File a Claim
Once you confirm you have the proper coverage, you’ll want to start the claims process as soon as possible. Call your insurance company or agent and provide details about when and where the accident occurred. Be prepared to describe the damage to your vehicle.
The insurance adjuster will likely ask for a police report, so make sure to file one if the incident occurred on a public road. Photos of your car’s damage and the animal can also help support your claim.
Get Your Car Repaired
After filing the claim, your insurer will advise you on getting your car repaired. Most standard policies have a deductible you must pay, often $500 or $1,000, before insurance covers the remaining cost. Your insurer will help coordinate repairs with a shop in their network.
Make sure to get a copy of the repair invoice to submit to your insurance company. Comprehensive coverage typically pays reasonable costs to restore your car to its pre-loss condition. This can include things like new parts, paintwork or labor.
Consider Updating Your Policy
While going through the claims process, it may be a good time to re-evaluate your policy and coverages. For example, you may want to raise your deductible to lower premiums or add broader animal collision coverage.
Your agent can walk through options to make sure you have adequate protection for any future mishaps on the road.
Dealing with a fender bender involving an animal can be a hassle. But by promptly calling your insurance provider after colliding with a raccoon, you can get your car repaired and avoid paying expenses out-of-pocket.
With the right coverage, your insurer can handle the claim and get you back on the road.
Avoid Future Collisions with Wildlife
Hitting an animal on the road can be a traumatic and dangerous experience. While little can be done to change the past, there are steps you can take to avoid collisions with wildlife in the future.
Drive Cautiously in Areas with High Animal Activity
Be especially alert when driving in rural areas, forests, near parks or nature preserves. These areas often have more wildlife present near roads. Slow down and watch for crossing animals. Pay extra attention at dawn and dusk when many animals are most active and visibility is lower.
Use Caution When You See One Animal Crossing
If you spot one deer, raccoon or other animal crossing the road, assume there are more nearby that may follow. Slow down and be prepared to stop suddenly for additional animals.
Install a Wildlife Warning Whistle on Your Vehicle
These whistles attach to the front of vehicles and emit a high-frequency sound when driving over 35 mph. The noise alerts animals of your approaching vehicle, prompting them to stop or retreat from the road.
Use Repellents or Reflectors to Deter Animal Crossings
There are various deer whistles, reflectors, and scent repellents available for vehicles. Their effectiveness varies, but they may help redirect some animals away from roads.
Stay Focused on Driving
Avoid distracted driving – no cell phone use, eating or other activities that take your eyes off the road. Staying focused on driving gives you a better chance of spotting animals and reacting appropriately.
Defensive and attentive driving is your best means of avoiding collisions with wildlife. While hitting an animal can happen unexpectedly, cautious driving habits can reduce your risk. Stay safe on the roads by keeping an eye out for crossing creatures!
Conclusion
Hitting a raccoon can be upsetting, but following the proper protocol afterward is important for legal, health and safety reasons. By stopping to check on the animal, removing it from the road, checking your car for damage, disinfecting your vehicle, monitoring yourself for rabies, contacting insurance and driving carefully in the future, you can ensure the incident is handled properly.
