First off no RX-8 has been injured in the making of this post.

My girlfriend slid on a patch of ice a few months back and drove over a cement curb in her Mini Cooper. The resulting damage to the driver's side bumper is pretty minor but noticeable. We now decided to report the damage to insurance and pay the $250 deductible to get it fixed.

I have Geico as our insurance provider and I want to minimize our premiums going up due to them having to most likely pay out a couple hundred dollars to cover the rest of the damage. Does it matter to the insurance company how the ding happened? I've heard that hitting a deer is sometimes considered no fault. Should I go with a story that she hit an animal instead?

 

Insurance adjusters can be very good at their job. He/she will be able to tell if the damage is consistent with hitting an animal - or not.

If the insurance company pays, assume your rates will go up. My rule of thumb is to expect to lose $500 in rate increase over time. Get an estimate for how much the bumper, painted, will cost out of pocket. Then decide for yourself whether it's worth it.