Hit a Deer Near London, Ontario? What to Do Before You Call a Tow Truck

If you drive the rural stretches around London, whether that's Highway 4 up toward Ailsa Craig, the concession roads out near Delaware and Lambeth, or the river valley on the way to St. Thomas, a deer in the road isn't a rare event. It's a matter of when, not if. Wildlife collisions cause an estimated 10,000-plus vehicle-damage incidents a year across Ontario, and rural driving corridors like the ones ringing London are exactly where they cluster: unlit roads, farm fields on both sides, dawn and dusk commutes when deer are most active.

Most people have no idea what actually happens after they hit a deer. Do you need police? Does insurance treat it differently than a regular accident? Is the car even safe to drive away? Here's what to actually do, in order.

What should I do in the first minute after hitting a deer?

Resist the urge to swerve hard to avoid the deer in the first place. It sounds backwards, but swerving into the oncoming lane or off the shoulder to miss an animal is what turns a fender-bender into a head-on or a rollover. Most driver-training and insurance guidance in Ontario says the same thing: brake firmly, stay in your lane, and accept the hit if a collision is unavoidable. A dented hood is a much better outcome than losing control at highway speed.

Once you've stopped, if you're able to move the car, get it off the travel lane and onto the shoulder, turn your hazards on, and check yourself and any passengers for injuries before you check the vehicle. On a rural road with no streetlights, a stopped car in the lane is a second collision waiting to happen.

Should I check on the deer?

Keep your distance. An injured deer can be genuinely dangerous, a panicked animal with sharp hooves and real weight behind it, and approaching it (even to help) is how people get hurt after the collision is already over. If the deer is down and blocking the lane, that's a hazard for other drivers, and it's a reason to call for help rather than something to handle yourself.

Do I need to call the police after hitting a deer in Ontario?

As of January 1, 2025, Ontario raised the threshold for mandatory police reporting on property-damage-only collisions from $2,000 to $5,000. If the damage to your vehicle is clearly minor and stays under that number, you're not legally required to report it at the scene. In practice, though, a lot of deer strikes push past $5,000 without looking like it: modern bumpers hide a radiator, condenser, and a cluster of sensors right behind the plastic, so what looks like a scuff can be a few thousand dollars in parts alone.

Call it in (use the non-emergency police line, not 911, unless someone's hurt) if the deer is dead or injured in the roadway, if you're not sure the damage is under $5,000, or if you just want an incident number on file for your insurance claim. Having that report makes the claims process faster even when it isn't strictly required.

Will my insurance actually cover deer collision damage?

Generally, yes, if you carry comprehensive or all-perils coverage. Hitting an animal is treated as a comprehensive claim in Ontario, not a collision claim, which matters because it's typically not treated as an at-fault accident against your driving record the way hitting another car would be. If your policy is liability-only, with no comprehensive or all-perils coverage added, animal-strike damage generally isn't covered at all, which is worth knowing before you're standing on the shoulder deciding what to do next. When in doubt, call your broker from the scene. They can usually tell you in a couple of minutes whether you're covered and what your deductible looks like.

Is it safe to keep driving, or do I need a tow?

Don't judge this by how the car looks. Check for the things that actually determine whether it's safe: is the hood latching properly and staying flat, is there fluid pooling under the front of the car (coolant is usually bright green, orange, or pink), do the headlights or turn signals still work, and does the car pull to one side or make new noise when you drive it slowly on the shoulder. Any one of those is a reason to stop and call for a tow instead of continuing the drive.

A cracked radiator or a coolant leak you don't catch right away can mean an overheated engine a few kilometres down the road, which turns a body-shop repair into an engine replacement. If there's any doubt, get it looked at before you put more kilometres on it.

What if I'm stuck on a rural road with no cell signal?

This is a real concern out past the city limits, whether you're on the back roads near Melrose, out toward Mount Brydges, or further along Highway 2 heading to St. Thomas. Cell coverage gets patchy fast once you're off the main highways. If you have no signal, stay with your vehicle rather than walking toward a farmhouse in the dark, put your hazards on, and wait for a passing vehicle to flag down or drive slowly toward the nearest area with coverage if the car is safe to move. Once you can get a call out, we can usually still find you from a rough description of the road and nearest crossroad, even without a pin.

When should I call a tow truck instead of driving to a shop myself?

Call for a tow if the hood won't latch securely, you see any fluid leaking, a headlight or turn signal is out, the car pulls noticeably to one side, there's a new noise from the front end, or the airbags deployed. Any of those means the risk of driving further outweighs the cost of a tow, especially at night on a rural road with more deer likely nearby.

If the car looks rough but drives clean, with no leaks, no warning lights, and nothing feels off, it's usually fine to drive it carefully to a body shop for a proper look. If you're not sure which category you're in, call us and describe what you're seeing. We'd rather talk you through it for free than have you find out the hard way on the 401.

We cover the rural roads, not just the city

Deer strikes almost always happen outside the well-lit parts of town, which is exactly where a lot of towing companies don't want to drive. We do. Whether you're stopped on Highway 4, out past Delaware, or on the stretch toward St. Thomas or Woodstock, we can get to you.

Call us at (226) 476-4176 any time, day or night. If you want to know what to expect from the claims side of things, our guide on whether insurance covers towing walks through it in more detail, and our step-by-step accident guide covers the parts that overlap with any collision, deer or otherwise. We also cover highway recovery if you're stranded further out, and St. Thomas and Woodstock if you're commuting or road-tripping through deer country.