Real Estate Blog - WHY I LOVE MY SEQUOIA

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WHY I LOVE MY SEQUOIA

I have a new respect for the Toyota Sequoia after hitting a deer broadside last Saturday evening.

On the way home from the camera shop in Tysons Corner, I was tooling along the road about 2 miles from my house when suddenly in my headlights appeared a deer running across the road right in front of my vehicle. So, by instinct, I slammed on the breaks and hoped the dang thing would get across the road before being hit. I wasn't that lucky. Neither was the deer. Actually, I fared better than the deer. I drove on and the deer left a chunk of deer hair in my fractured bumper. Since it was dark, I have no knowledge of the condition of the deer, but judging from the condition of my front bumper and various parts behind it, the deer is probably buzzard bait on the side of the road. I haven't driven down that road since Saturday evening because I can't put my Sequoia in for repair until there is a rental car available. Hopefully BY Friday I'll be able to get a rental.

TOO MANY DEER, TOO MANY PEOPLE ON THE ROADS

There were two people killed in deer collisions in Virginia last year. Approximately 150 occupants of vehicles a year are killed in deer collisions in the US each year. Approximately 1.5 million deer are killed in deer collisions. This is the second deer I've hit in three years. I suppose if you never drive anywhere, you'll avoid this problem, but no way a real estate practitioner can avoid the roads. Normally, I would have pulled over to determine the damage, but since it was dark out, approx. 5:30 p.m. and there was a LONG line of cars behind me and there was really no place to pull over anyway, I just drove on until I got to a nearby gas station. I really wanted to find out what all the noise was, which turned out to be a piece of plastic that was rubbing the wheel. Nothing serious. As a Maryland and Virginia real estate practitioner, I've driven approx. 750,000 miles with an without passengers. I have an encyclopaedic knowledge of real estate in Maryland and Virginia. That takes a lot of miles and I don't really mind the driving. But, I've had a few close calls. Drive enough miles and stuff will happen.

I LOVE MY SEQUOIA.
The insurance adjuster visited this a.m. to take a look and he was amazed that there was as little structural damage as was evident. I'll probably just pay for the repair, but I thought I'd get his estimate before I visited the body shop. He said I was lucky to be driving a heavy sturdy vehicle with a steel bumper behind the visible bumper which is connected to the frame of the vehicle. I had to agree because when I saw that deer, I slammed on the brakes and the vehicle didn't swerve, sway, or anything but go straight ahead and slow down. When I hit a deer two years ago, I was driving a Trail Blazer and the front was very damaged. What a difference 5300 lbs makes. I was driving about 48 miles per hour. How do I know that??? Because it was dark and I was looking for a place to pull over and let the cars behind me go by. So, while the speed limit on that stretch is 55 mph, I had slowed down looking for a pull-over. That's a habit so folks behind me don't get an ulcer driving the speed limit. I told the insurance adjuster that I was going about 48 which I commented isn't very fast. He laughed and said, "If you're a deer and you're hit by a Sequoia going 48 mph, it's very fast.

This blog is very real estate related. Driving in the dark is dangerous in the suburbs. The deer are rutting and it's hunting season. The deer have only two things on their mind, running after a doe and running from a shot. Be careful. Read about Deer Safety.

http://www.homefinders-newsletter.com/

Posted by Lenn Harley, Real Estate Broker, Maryland & Virginia on 11/22/2006 04:12 PM

Comments (7)

maryland virginia real estate, real estate maryland virginia, deer safety, active rain, homefinders, lenn harley, realtor

Post is included in group: The Ninety-ninth Percentile
Post is included in group: Realtors®

7 Comments on WHY I LOVE MY SEQUOIA

NOV

2006

Lenn, glad you are OK. I've hit 2 deer, 1 Coyote and a few dogs with my 4 Runner. The car is always OK and I end up a nervous wreak. I think sitting up higher off the road has saved me more than once.

Have a Blessed Day Of Thanks...TLW and Company...ROAR!

Lenn, glad to hear that YOU are OK. It must have been quite jarring.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whew! Good to hear you ok! They are getting pesky. And they ate my Hosta this year. I even bloggd about it HERE.

MAY

2008

Lenn,

Thanks for sending me th link to your article. Suburbia has been a boon for deer and other wildlife who live where woodland and open areas come together. There are more deer in the United States in 2008 than there were when the Pilgrims landed, thanks to the way our society has developed its real estate. What we need now are more hunters to keep the population at a safe level for humans.

Mike in Tucson

Lenn, thank God you were not hurt. Cars can always be fixed. Our real estate vehicles have always been a SUV style that would protect ourselves and the passengers that we place in our vehicles. You made a great choice that paid off well!

Mike. I agree. However, we'll probably be able to harvest Deer about the time we get oil out of AMWAR.

Jim. Are you reading my old blogs. Surely you have . . . . wait. You don't I read your post this a.m.

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