Insurance adjuster shares why you should always, always hit the deer—and not for the reason you think: ‘PETA don’t come for me’

An insurance claims adjuster detailed why it's almost always better to hit a deer in the road rather than swerve to try and avoid it. TikToker Tia Jax (@lovetiajax) is well aware of the ire she may invoke from folks with this statement, but she explained why this is the better option for folks filing insurance claims.

"Hi my name is Tia I'm a claims adjuster ... hit the deer," she tells drivers. "Hit the animal or the deer. That sounds crazy, I know. PETA don't come for me. Y'all don't come for me, but I really need y'all to hit that deer, hit that animal."

Following this, she explains why it's almost always better, for insurance claims purposes, to strike an animal that jumps in front of your car. She continues, "And the reason why I say this is because y'all are calling my line and this is the story that y'all tell me."

Jax continues with the tale she's heard several times from car owners: "'I was on my way to work I was on a back road and a deer jumped out, or animal jumped out. I swerved to avoid hitting that animal and I hit a guardrail.' Right? Everything's normal. That's cool," she says.

However, there's a fly in the ointment when it comes to this kind of incident. Jax explains how insurance logic factors into doling out payouts post-accident. "'Cause you didn't make contact with that deer, that animal, it now becomes a collision claim," she remarks.

So what's the difference? If the matter gets defined as a collision claim, then the parameters set by one's policy dictates how much money people can get from a collision instance, as opposed to a comprehensive accident, which would be the case if one struck the animal.

"You have to make contact with the animal for it to be considered comprehensive. And even furthermore there is a large group of people that have a lower comprehensive deductible amount than collision. And those really be the main ones that start cussing me out on my line, that I work for," she says.

The reason behind their aggressive on-the-phone behavior, Jax says, is this lack of understanding with regards to collision versus comprehensive accident damage. "They think that somehow since the animal was involved, even though it made no contact it's comprehensive," she relays.

Unfortunately, this puts her in a position where she has to inform folks on the other end of the phone that this just isn't the case. "I have to explain the bad news to them that it is considered collision. I am not telling y'all to go knock Bambi up the street if you see it," she cautioned.

She wanted to clarify that she doesn't condone hitting animals just for the sake of filing insurance claims, however. "You don't need to play subway surfer with animals out here in these streets that's not what I'm telling y'all. I'm just saying if you're in a situation and it's not gonna be completely disastrous, hit the animal."

Before her video came to a close, she pre-empted the heat she would get from people for recommending this. "Y'all can say what you want in the comments, keep it respectful I love y'all, I'm just letting y'all know hit the animal for it to be comprehensive."

Others who replied to Jax's video seemed to think so. One person wrote, "As a retired insurance agent she is 100% correct. Tear Bambi's a** up," one wrote.

Someone else said that it's best to hit animals that jump out in front of your car in the road not just for insurance, but overall safety purposes.

They stated, "Fellow claims adjuster - had one before where the driver swerved, lost control and rolled the vehicle. Her 16-year-old daughter was in the car, not buckled in and ended up paralyzed. Never swerve and give up control of your vehicle. Hit the f***ing deer."

But others said there are exceptions to this rule. Namely, that drivers should probably avoid moose, which are notoriously aggressive and very large.

Others have also cautioned against swerving when deer appear before your car. This AAA Club Alliance article unequivocally states: "Don't swerve. By far, one of the biggest mistakes you can make right before you hit a deer is swerving."

According to the American Automobile Association, making a drastic turn while driving could endanger other drivers on the road and cause a much larger accident. So if a deer crosses your path, pumping the brakes, honking to try and scare it away and staying in your lane is probably the best course of action, according to AAA.

Ohio State Highway Patrol echoed these sentiments in a Facebook post dedicated to the topic as well. "Stay safe on the road: if a deer appears suddenly, brake firmly instead of swerving to avoid losing control of your vehicle," law enforcement officials from the Buckeye state recommend.

According to Coverage Classroom, it absolutely is. Just like Jax says in her video, the outlet writes: "If you hit a deer, your car insurance treats it as comprehensive coverage, not collision. An animal strike counts as an 'other than collision' loss, the same bucket as theft, fire, hail, and falling objects, because it's outside your control."

Conversely, collision is defined as striking "another car or a fixed object." While it may be difficult in such a pressurized, stressful situation to remember this bit of advice, your wallet, and safety of other drivers, may be best served if you slam the brakes and hope for the best.