Home / Library / Car Accidents
Where and When Do Deer Crashes Happen in Massachusetts?
Last updated
Deer crashes in Massachusetts cluster in November, after dark, and in the rural towns of Bristol and Plymouth Counties: of the 11,407 crashes from 2022 through 2024 where the first thing a vehicle struck was a deer, more crashes with animals happened in November than in any other month of every year, and Westport, a coastal town of about 1,100 recorded crashes, logged the most of any community in the state. Across all animals, 12,755 crashes began with an animal strike, 3.15 per cent of everything MassDOT recorded. They are far less likely than other crashes to injure anyone, and far more likely to happen in the dark.
Every figure on this page comes from the MassDOT IMPACT open crash data for 2022, 2023 and 2024, the stateâs public database built from police crash reports. The crash record carries a field called the first harmful event, meaning the first thing the vehicle struck, and MassDOT records two animal values in it: a collision with a deer, and a collision with any other animal. The data was pulled on 28 September 2026 and returned 405,241 crashes, two more than the September 1 snapshot behind the Massachusetts crash report, where each townâs own totals, injuries and highest-crash roads are listed.
The Statewide Picture
A deer strike is a common crash that rarely hurts anyone badly. The injury rate, the share of crashes where someone was injured but no one died, is about one sixth of the statewide figure.
| Measure, 2022 to 2024 | Deer | Other animal | All animal | Every crash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes | 11,407 | 1,348 | 12,755 | 405,241 |
| Crashes with a non-fatal injury | 421 | 70 | 491 | 92,761 |
| Injury share | 3.69% | 5.19% | 3.85% | 22.89% |
| Fatal crashes | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1,087 |
| Fatal crashes per 1,000 crashes | 0.18 | 0.74 | 0.24 | 2.68 |
Deer account for 89.43 per cent of animal crashes. The yearly count held steady: 4,309 animal crashes in 2022, 4,395 in 2023 and 4,051 in 2024. No moose value appears anywhere on the 2022 to 2024 records; any moose strike in those years was recorded under âother animalâ.
Earlier cuts of this same database found that some conditions move only the fatal rate while others move both rates together. Darkness, in the night crash data, multiplied the fatal rate and left the injury rate flat. Snow, in the road surface data, pushed both down. Animal strikes follow the snow shape, only more strongly: both rates fall, the injury rate to about a sixth of normal and the fatal rate to about a tenth. The likely reason, and it is an inference rather than something the records state, is that a deer strike is usually one vehicle hitting a soft object and stopping, with no second vehicle and no person outside a car.
When Deer Crashes Happen
The calendar is the strongest pattern in this data.
| Month | Animal crashes, 2022 to 2024 | Share of the year |
|---|---|---|
| January | 906 | 7.10% |
| February | 683 | 5.35% |
| March | 684 | 5.36% |
| April | 649 | 5.09% |
| May | 1,025 | 8.04% |
| June | 1,266 | 9.93% |
| July | 688 | 5.39% |
| August | 446 | 3.50% |
| September | 594 | 4.66% |
| October | 1,568 | 12.29% |
| November | 2,837 | 22.24% |
| December | 1,409 | 11.05% |
November alone carries 22.24 per cent of the yearâs animal crashes, and October through December together carry 45.58 per cent. November was the highest month in each of the three years: 1,019 crashes in 2022, 1,035 in 2023 and 783 in 2024. August is the quietest month, and November records 6.36 times as many animal crashes as August. There is a smaller second rise in May and June. All crashes follow a different calendar: they peak in December, about 413 a day statewide, and on Cape Cod and the islands in July and August, as the crashes by month article shows county by county.
The time of day tells the same story from another angle. The five hours from 5 pm to 9 pm account for 3,951 animal crashes, 30.98 per cent, and the single busiest hour is 5 pm to 5:59 pm with 1,078. The early morning hours from 5 am to 8 am add another 2,142, or 16.79 per cent.
Light condition is where the difference from ordinary crashes is largest. 59.16 per cent of animal crashes happened in the dark, against 27.21 per cent of all Massachusetts crashes. Almost a third of animal crashes, 4,007, or 31.42 per cent, happened on a dark road with no street lighting. Daylight accounts for 31.14 per cent, and dawn and dusk together for 9.64 per cent.
Put together, the pattern is specific: an autumn evening, in the hour or two after sunset when the clocks have gone back and the commute home is in darkness. That is the window when a driver in the towns listed below is most likely to meet a deer.
Which Towns Record the Most Animal Crashes
These are the fifteen Massachusetts communities that recorded the most animal crashes from 2022 through 2024, deer and other animals combined. The share column is animal crashes as a share of all crashes the town recorded, against 3.15 per cent statewide and a median of 3.97 per cent across the 223 communities that recorded at least 300 crashes.
| Community | Animal crashes | All crashes | Animal share | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westport | 276 | 1,108 | 24.91% | Bristol |
| Middleborough | 237 | 2,846 | 8.33% | Plymouth |
| Taunton | 177 | 6,644 | 2.66% | Bristol |
| Plymouth | 154 | 2,735 | 5.63% | Plymouth |
| Swansea | 147 | 1,722 | 8.54% | Bristol |
| Freetown | 129 | 713 | 18.09% | Bristol |
| Rehoboth | 127 | 791 | 16.06% | Bristol |
| Seekonk | 125 | 2,167 | 5.77% | Bristol |
| Westford | 119 | 1,337 | 8.90% | Middlesex |
| East Bridgewater | 116 | 1,148 | 10.10% | Plymouth |
| Easton | 116 | 1,585 | 7.32% | Bristol |
| Bourne | 115 | 2,172 | 5.29% | Barnstable |
| Wareham | 111 | 1,716 | 6.47% | Plymouth |
| Lakeville | 108 | 639 | 16.90% | Plymouth |
| Duxbury | 100 | 697 | 14.35% | Plymouth |
Thirteen of the fifteen are in Bristol or Plymouth County. Westford, in Middlesex County, and Bourne, at the Cape Cod Canal, are the exceptions. The concentration runs through the rural and suburban towns of southeastern Massachusetts, from the Rhode Island line east through Middleborough to Plymouth and Duxbury, the county covered town by town in the Plymouth County crash data.
By share rather than count, small towns lead. Among communities with at least 300 crashes, the highest shares after Westport are Acushnet at 21.65 per cent (84 of 388), Brewster at 20.63 per cent (78 of 378), Marion at 20.53 per cent (85 of 414), Mattapoisett at 20.37 per cent (77 of 378) and Deerfield at 20.22 per cent (72 of 356). In those towns, roughly one recorded crash in five began with an animal.
At the other end, the dense cities record almost none. Boston recorded 22 animal crashes among 17,407, Worcester 34 among 15,598, and Lawrence 6 among 5,385. Somerville, Everett, Winthrop, Swampscott and Nahant recorded none at all.
Read the Town List With One Caution
A crash appears in this database only when a police report is written and the officer records what was struck first, and that depends on the department as well as the deer. The earlier hit-and-run analysis found neighbouring departments recording the same kind of crash at very different rates, so the same test was applied here before the list was published.
Westport records 276 animal crashes. Dartmouth, directly next door with more crashes of every kind, records 82, which is 4.65 per cent of its 1,763 crashes. Both towns are on the same stretch of the South Coast. The data cannot say whether that gap is deer, road layout, traffic volume or how each department completes its reports, and this page does not guess. Westportâs figure is at least consistent from year to year, 77, 100 and 99, which a one-time recording change would not produce.
The same caution applies to the towns with no animal crashes. Rowe recorded 2 crashes of any kind over three years and Hinsdale recorded 4, so the absence of a deer strike in either says more about how few crashes are recorded there than about how few deer there are. Treat the list as a map of where animal crashes are recorded, which is the best available public measure, and not as a ranking of which town is most dangerous.
What to Do After Hitting a Deer
The practical steps after an animal strike are the same as after any crash, with two differences: there is usually no other driver, and the damage is easy to underestimate.
- Get off the travel lane if the car can move, and turn on the hazard lights. A deer strike on an unlit road at night leaves a stopped car where the next driver cannot see it.
- Do not approach an injured deer. A wounded animal can kick and bite. Call the police, who can deal with the animal and record the crash.
- Check everyone in the car for injury. Most animal crashes injure no one, but a swerve that ends in a tree or a ditch is a different crash.
- Photograph the vehicle, the road, the lighting and any marks on the pavement before the car is moved, if it is safe to do so.
- File the written report if the law requires one. Under M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 26, a driver in a crash in which anyone is killed or injured, or in which there is more than $1,000 of damage to any one vehicle or other property, must report in writing to the registrar within five days and send a copy to the police department where it happened. A deer strike that crumples a hood, a grille and a headlight can pass $1,000 easily. The general steps are set out in how to report a car accident in Massachusetts.
- Notify your insurer promptly and read your own policy. Which part of an auto policy pays for damage from striking an animal depends on the policyâs wording and the coverages you bought, so the policy itself is the document to check.
Who Pays When a Deer Is Involved
A deer has no insurer, so the answer depends on what happened and on your own coverage.
Injuries to the people in the car. Personal injury protection, or PIP, is the part of a Massachusetts auto policy that pays medical bills and lost wages after a crash. Under M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 34A it is paid âwithout regard to negligence or gross negligence or fault of any kindâ, with a limit of at least $8,000 for any one person, and it covers the named insured, household members, authorized drivers and passengers. It applies to a single-vehicle deer strike the same way it applies to any other crash. The PIP guide explains how those benefits are claimed.
When another driver is part of the crash. A deer crash can involve a second vehicle: a driver who swerves into the oncoming lane, or who brakes hard and is struck from behind. Then the question becomes whether either driver was negligent, meaning failed to take the care a reasonable driver would take, such as by driving too fast for a dark road in November or following too closely. Massachusetts uses comparative negligence, the rule that shares responsibility between people in proportion to fault. Under M.G.L. c. 231, sec. 85, an injured person can recover if their own negligence âwas not greater thanâ the negligence of the people they are claiming against, with damages reduced by their own share. The comparative negligence guide walks through how that division works.
Passengers. A passenger hurt in a deer crash has PIP through the policy covering the car, and, where the driver was negligent, a potential claim against the driver. A passenger is not responsible for the driverâs decisions.
The distinction worth keeping in mind is this one:
| Question | A deer strike with no other vehicle | A deer crash involving a second vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| Is there an at-fault party? | Usually no; the animal caused the collision | Possibly, if a driver was negligent |
| Who pays medical bills first? | Your own PIP, regardless of fault | Your own PIP, regardless of fault |
| Can you claim beyond PIP? | Generally not against anyone else | Yes, against a negligent driver, reduced by any share of your own fault |
| What decides vehicle damage? | Your own policyâs coverages | Your own policy, or the negligent driverâs insurer |
| Report required? | Yes, if injury or more than $1,000 damage | Yes, if injury or more than $1,000 damage |
Answer Capsule
From 2022 through 2024, MassDOT recorded 12,755 crashes that began with an animal strike, 11,407 of them with a deer, 3.15 per cent of all Massachusetts crashes. November carries 22.24 per cent of the yearâs animal crashes and October through December 45.58 per cent; 59.16 per cent happen in the dark, against 27.21 per cent of crashes generally. Westport records the most (276), and 13 of the 15 highest-count towns are in Bristol or Plymouth County. Only 3.85 per cent of animal crashes involved an injury, against 22.89 per cent of all crashes. PIP under M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 34A pays injured occupants regardless of fault, and a written crash report is required under c. 90, sec. 26 when anyone is injured or damage exceeds $1,000.
Key terms
- First harmful event: the field on a Massachusetts crash record naming the first thing a vehicle struck, which is how this page identifies a deer or animal crash.
- MassDOT IMPACT: the stateâs public crash database, compiled from police crash reports and used for every figure on this page.
- Injury share: the percentage of crashes in which someone was injured but no one was killed.
- Personal injury protection (PIP): the part of a Massachusetts auto policy that pays medical bills and lost wages after a crash, regardless of who was at fault, up to at least $8,000 per person.
- Comparative negligence: the Massachusetts rule that lets an injured person recover so long as their own fault is not greater than the other sideâs, with damages reduced by their share.
Related Pages
- Massachusetts crash report, with every townâs totals and highest-crash roads.
- Night crash data, for how darkness changes the fatal rate across all crashes.
- Road surface crash data, the other condition where both rates fall together.
- Plymouth County crash data, for the county that holds six of the fifteen towns above.
- Taunton car accident information and Plymouth car accident information, for the two largest communities on the list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many deer crashes happen in Massachusetts each year?
A: MassDOT recorded 11,407 crashes that began with a deer strike from 2022 through 2024, roughly 3,800 a year. Counting all animals, the totals were 4,309 in 2022, 4,395 in 2023 and 4,051 in 2024.
Q: What month has the most deer crashes in Massachusetts?
A: November, in every year from 2022 through 2024. November accounts for 22.24 per cent of animal crashes across the three years, and October through December for 45.58 per cent. August has the fewest.
Q: What time of day do most deer crashes happen?
A: In the evening. The hours from 5 pm to 9 pm account for 30.98 per cent of animal crashes, with the 5 pm hour the busiest single hour. 59.16 per cent happen in the dark, against 27.21 per cent of all Massachusetts crashes.
Q: Which Massachusetts town has the most deer crashes?
A: Westport, with 276 animal crashes from 2022 through 2024, about a quarter of all crashes recorded there. Middleborough (237), Taunton (177), Plymouth (154) and Swansea (147) follow. Town figures depend partly on how each police department completes its reports, so they are a measure of recorded crashes rather than a ranking of danger.
Q: Do I have to report hitting a deer in Massachusetts?
A: A written report is required under M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 26 when anyone is injured or killed, or when there is more than $1,000 of damage to any one vehicle or other property. It goes to the registrar within five days, with a copy to the police department where the crash happened.
Q: Who pays for my injuries if I hit a deer?
A: Your own personal injury protection pays first. Under M.G.L. c. 90, sec. 34A, PIP is paid without regard to fault, up to at least $8,000 per person, and covers the named insured, household members, authorized drivers and passengers.
Q: Can I sue another driver if they swerved to avoid a deer and hit me?
A: Possibly, if the other driver was negligent, for example by driving too fast for the conditions. Massachusetts comparative negligence under M.G.L. c. 231, sec. 85 lets an injured person recover if their own fault was not greater than the other driverâs, with the award reduced by their own share. Swerving around a deer is not negligent in itself; the question is whether the driving was reasonable.
Q: Are deer crashes dangerous?
A: Less so than other crashes on these figures. Only 3.85 per cent of animal crashes involved an injury, against 22.89 per cent of all crashes, and there were 3 fatal animal crashes among 12,755 over three years. A crash that begins with a deer but ends against a tree or another vehicle is a more serious event, and those are recorded under the deer because it was struck first.
Q: Is Jimmy Knows AI giving me legal advice?
A: No. This page is general information drawn from public MassDOT crash records and the Massachusetts General Laws, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. How a particular crash is covered depends on the policy and the facts, so a specific situation should be reviewed with a lawyer.
Talking to a Lawyer
Most deer strikes end with a damaged car and no claim against anyone. The ones worth a conversation are those where someone was hurt, where a second vehicle was involved, or where an insurer is disputing what the policy covers.
Jim Glaser Law can be reached at (617) JIM-WINS. The line is answered 24 hours a day. The first telephone consultation is offered without charge. Cases accepted on a contingency basis carry no attorney fee unless there is a recovery, and case costs and expenses are addressed in the written fee agreement signed at intake.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Massachusetts law is fact-specific; telephone Jim Glaser Law about your particular situation. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Attorney advertising under Mass. R. Prof. C. 7.1 to 7.5. Responsible attorney: Jim Glaser, admitted in MA only, of counsel to Keches Law. Principal office: 77 Pond St., Sharon, MA. Most cases referred to other jurisdictionally licensed lawyers for principal liability.