A big strip of tire tread went flying through the air and hit the passenger side of my car, taking off the rear-view mirror. Does this follow the definition of falling object/missile and get covered under the comprehensive insurance? Or would an insurance company consider it a collision?

Collision means the impact of your insured car with another object or upset of your insured car. Loss caused by missiles, falling objects, fire, theft or larceny, explosion, earthquake, windstorm, hail, water, flood, malicious mischief or vandalism, riot or civil commotion, colliding with a bird or animal, or breakage of glass are other than collision losses (a.k.a. Comprehensive).

Flying debris typically qualifies under your Comprehensive coverage while any road debris that you may run over would usually be covered under Collision coverage. Since the tire tread appears to have been airborne and hit the passenger side of your vehicle it will likely be a Comprehensive coverage, though the terms of car insurance policies vary and so your claims adjuster will tell you for certain under which coverage the claim will go. Your insurance policy should pay for these damages less the deductible that applies to the coverage that the adjuster decides this falls under.

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