Moral of this story: just hit the damned animal

[Cyph]

So the other night I find myself driving home after a long busy shift at work (bartender). After picking up my girlfriend at her house, I begin the trek back to mine. About 15 minutes into the trip along a dark stretch of road, someone's dog decides to at the last minute to jump out in front of the car. My first instinct is to try and miss it, so I swerve to miss, unfortunately the road isn't all that great and I lose control of the car. One tree later this is the outcome:

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My gf's head hit the window so hard, it threw the glass from the car, yet we both walked away with a few bruises and no real damage to ourselves. I was able to drive it back to a relatives house close by, but I think the chassis is bent, so I'm not liking the chances of it being able to be repaired. On the plus side, I may have a great condition hardtop (which coincidently I had taken off a day earlier and left at this house) up for grabs soon.

moral of this story, just ram the f***ing dog.

[Hjt]

Sorry for your accident, by the looks of thongs the repair cost would exceed the value of the vehicle. What state are you located?

If you to damage these cars, front left is best!

[NMX516]

Ouch

Report it to the Police, because your insurer will want to see a Police report number. Otherwise their imagination will run wild....

Good luck with it.

[taminga16]

Ouch

Report it to the Police, because your insurer will want to see a Police report number. Otherwise their imagination will run wild....

Good luck with it.

PLUS 1, and it would be a good idea to go for a quiet walk to see if you can find the dog, it is after all the responsibility of the owner to keep it from the road and it may take a load of you re; insurance.
Greg.
P.S. And the both of you should go to a Doctor!

[Regie]

wow thats a big hit....id get yourself and the misses checked out!....better now then later!

on the other hand, good to see that you are both ok!

[sliq]

very glad to see you're OK. fortunately no head on collision.

what Regie said. better get yourselves checked out first.. better to play it extra safe than sorry.

also echoing the above re police report.

just as an aside, are (were) you fully insured?

[davekmoore]

Whiplash can take a while to become obvious. A trip to the doctor is definitely a good idea.

[Mr nanotech]

As a healthcare professional I agree with all of the above advice, get yourself to a hospital and report the incident there. Let them be the judge because at the end of the day you only have one life and one body, don't be too complacent with it!!!

I'm very glad to hear you are ok though, these kind of accidents can be fatal. With a side impact like that, your gf is a very lucky lady (so more reason to get her to the hospital).
Though I will say that as much as the 'right' thing to do is to hit the animal, it can be VERY hard (if not impossible) to shake the natural reflex to swerve since there is only a fraction of a second to react in a lot of cases. Don't feel like you did the wrong thing though, stuff like this happens and there is no right or wrong way to happen, just cause and effect.

That all said, I think you should buy a lotto ticket

edit:
And while I remember, I know I've said to get your gf and yourself to a hospital and I'm not going to be a broken record here; but I will add that with the nature of the accident and what you have described, she could have anything from mild concussion to an ABI (acquired brain injury) so medical attention is a must!!!!

[93_Clubman]

As already mentioned that's a heavy impact & your GF was very lucky. Good to hear you're both ok.

Yeah, you got to try to avoid the temptation to swerve for animals when circumstances & conditions aren't in your favour.

[davekmoore]

As already mentioned that's a heavy impact & your GF was very lucky. Good to hear you're both ok.

Yeah, you got to try to avoid the temptation to swerve for animals when circumstances & conditions aren't in your favour.

Yup, if brakes or accelerator won't sort it, hit the animal rather than have an off.