4 years, 1 month.

Dear Jack,

On November 26^th, the night before Thanksgiving this year, I was driving home from work. Normally, I would have had you in the car with me, in the back seat.

Fortunately, Mommy got off work early that day and she picked you up instead.

As I drove down that narrow, wooded, farm land stretch from Cool Springs to Nolensville, on Clovercroft Road, I made sure to slow down, going under the speed limit because of all the light rain and heavy fog obstructing my view.

Less than a mile from home, I looked over the left hand side of the road to see what appeared to be a skinny white cow running faster than I’ve ever seen a cow run.

As it made its way down that hill, which was part of a farm, I noticed it was being chased… by a deer.

At that point, I realized that actually, both animals were deer.

The all-white one jumped the 4 foot tall barb wire fence. In a split-second moment, I had a big decision to make:

I chose to remain cruising at the same speed and let the deer run into the side of me.

Officially, I did not hit a deer… a deer hit me!

It reminded me of some generic yet familiar scene from Lost, where some big explosion happens and the character wakes up wondering where they are. (That seemed to happen a lot on Lost!)

Miraculously, by the grace of God, the albino deer didn’t crash through my window. It hit hard against my driver’s side door and tire.

However, the impact didn’t slow down my car or knock my car off the road.

When I looked back behind me, I saw no sign of the deer; nor did the cars behind me have to swerve. The albino deer just completely disappeared.

I was able to drive home, with no injuries.

However, when I got home, I was unable to open the driver’s side door, as the deer’s impact had jammed the tire panel into the door.

And for some reason, the battery was dead the next morning.

I ended up having to have my car towed. Please note to avoid having an insurance claim in between the 2 biggest holidays of the year.

Keep in mind the accident occurred on November 26^th. Well, I got my car back from the shop just a couple of days ago, on December 30^th; about 5 weeks later.

I have to compliment Service King in Cool Springs, TN; where my car was towed. They did a flawless job of keeping me informed via text messages and phone calls on the status of my vehicle’s condition.

Yes, it took 5 weeks to get my car back after the accident, but in no way was the delay because of Service King. It had to do with the insurance inspection in the midst of the holidays, as well as a surge of claims of deer hitting cars.

My car was towed to facility to a place where they total cars; only to eventually learn that, thank God, my car wasn’t totaled.

So after a couple of weeks of that, it was finally taken to Service King, where it was repaired.

Just to be clear, though, it was nothing short of a miracle that my car wasn’t totaled. The state of Tennessee requires insurance companies to total vehicles if the damage is equal to 70% or more of the vehicle’s value.

Looks like I was only safe by a couple hundred dollars.

One good thing that came out of all this is I got to review 4 cars during the past month. For example, here are the stories that came out of the Lexus LX 570:

Dear Jack: My Childhood Christmas Tree, The 1980s Time Capsule

Dear Jack: Christmas Is Always Quirky Wherever We Are

Discovering A Mysterious Purse While Geocaching In Fort Payne, Alabama

Dear Jack: Little River Falls/Abandoned Church Christmas Trip

Dear Jack: The Day After Christmas Was Still Fun Too!

How To Have A Vegan, Vegetarian, Kosher Or Plant-Based Christmas

2014 Lexus LX 570: Family Friendly Review

Dear Jack: I Was Hit By An Albino Deer! (Yes, An Albino Deer)

I also reviewed the 2014 Lexus RX 450h during this 5 week period as well:

2014 Lexus RX 450h 5-DR SUV (DVD Player Equipped): Family Friendly Review 

Dear Jack: Marvel Universe Live- Family Friendly Review (Lexus RX 450h Weekend)

Dear Jack: Meeting Santa With Sophie At Bass Pro Shop (Lexus RX 450h Weekend)

Dear Jack: Jacob’s 5th Birthday Party In A Tractor Store (Lexus RX 450h Weekend)

Dear Jack: The Old Abandoned Silo Tower On Main Street in Spring Hill, TN (Lexus RX 450h Weekend) 

Dear Jack: Our New House’s Shutters, Mailbox, & Interior Paint (Lexus RX 450h Weekend)

In closing, please remember my words of wisdom: Never slow down, stop, or swerve to avoid hitting an animal.

Had I done any of those things, the accident would have been billed as my fault. I would have had a $500 deductible, plus my premium would have went up.

But because I chose to let the deer hit me, I remained safe on the road, and my deductible was only $100; not to mention my premium will not increase.

Here in the state of Tennessee, you seriously have to watch out for those albino deer…

Fortunately, your Uncle Andrew and Aunt Dana bought me a deer warner for Christmas.

Love,

Daddy