Risk: Fat Raccoons

What a fat raccoon does to a VW Passat

So.... before last month I never considered raccoons much of a risk while driving on the highway.  Deer?  Yes.  Elk? Yes.  But an animal the Wikipedia claims weighs between 6-20 lbs never seemed like a reason for concern.

Well, the incident which resulted in the pictured damage happened kind of fast and I didn't have a chance to weigh the raccoon which chose to intersect with my moving vehicle.  What I do know is that the raccoon at issue appeared to be enormous of not morbidly obese.  I probably wouldn't have hit it had I not been driving down a relatively dark stretch of US Highway 87 near Victoria.  The obese animal at issue waddled out of a darkened median at a surprisingly rapid pace.  I attempted to swerve, but hitting a fat raccoon seemed like a better plan than flying into a ditch at 70 MPH.  Moreover, he actually ran toward my car as I started to swerve.  Despite evasion maneuvers, there was no way to miss said raccoon.

End result: $2,500 worth of damage.

Yes, that is the correct amount.  When I picked up the car from the body shop, I was handed a laundry list of damage caused by reckless wildlife.  Not only did he cause the body damage pictured about, he also dislodged the radiator and the turbo's intercooler.  Fortunately for me, I carry the full package of insurance on my car and I was able to drive a company vehicle for a week while mine was repaired.

Take-aways from this experience:

• Raccoons can seriously mess up your car.  Be alert for them.
• A reminder that no repair is cheap for a Volkswagen Passat (I've had prior experiences with body damage to this car: all expensive)
• State Farm was cool about paying for it.  I've gotten my money's worth from their collision coverage.
• Ellis & Salazar again did great work at a fast pace.
• It's really annoying for people to chastise you about hitting a sweet, innocent raccoon when you're looking at serious body damage to your car.  
• It might be time for me to buy a Tahoe.