Can you hold a person responsible for a vet bill who ran over a dog?

Question

It was not my dog it was a stray that got hit and the dog can be spared with surgery no one has claimed him. my friend is willing and wanting to give him a home but they want to put the dog down tomorrow because they do not want to waste the funds on an older dog he has 3 fractures in his back legs. We have the guys address who hit him and he admitted responsibility.

It was not my dog it was a stray that got hit and the dog can be spared with surgery no one has claimed him. my friend is willing and wanting to give him a home but they want to put the dog down tomorrow because they do not want to waste the funds on an older dog he has 3 fractures in his back legs. We have the guys address who hit him and he admitted responsibility.

Yes I agree whoever owned the dog in the first place should of had it secure. I just feel so bad because now this poor is going to be put down because of a careless owner who does not even have the decentcy to even try and claim and take responsibility for it....

Answer 1

If the dog was not on a leash and was a stray then there is no way to hold that person finacialy responsible. It's very sad, but unfortunatly thats the was it is. Your friend will have to pay for the surgery themselves or the dog will be put down.

Answer 2

Why did they run over the dog? Was the dog in the street running around? Or did the dog get away from the owner? If either of those questions apply, then the owner of the dog is responsible for the bills. Really, unless the owner has the dog on a leash and the leash is in the owners hands, there's no way to get the driver to pay for it.
But if the owner thinks they have a case, they can take the driver to small claims court.

Answer 3

In some states it is illegal to hit a dog and leave the scene of the accident without notifying the police, however the driver of the car is not responsible for the medical bills or injuries/death sustained by a dog-at-large (loose dog) he or she is only required to notify the police. In fact, the owner of the dog could very likely be sued and found liable for the damages the loose dog caused to the driver's vehicle (my mother-in-law works for an insurance company, and this happens more often then you would think).

Check out the link below, about a court case that involved a loose dog who was hit by a car. The dog owner was fined $1.2 million in damages.

Hope this answers your question.

Answer 4

It would have to be the owner of the dog who could collect for vet expenses in the first place. Most places have leash laws, so the owner would be responsible for any damages to the car that hit the dog.
Sad fact is, we had a rescue that got hit by a car and had multiple fractures. The bills added up to more than 4000.00

Answer 5

Only if they were at fault. Why was your dog behind their car? Odds are it was your fault unless the person happened to be driving through your yard.

OKAY, after reading some other answers I have to ask what the hell is wrong with you people? Seriously, how could it be the drivers fault with the details that were given in this question? I can only assume here that the driver was either on the street or in his own driveway, two places that your dog should not be. Not the driver's fault or problem.

Answer 6

I'm not a lawyer, but I say "no". There are state laws & local ordinances that state dogs must be in the owners' yards (can not "run at large") or be on a leash. So, unless the driver purposely (maliciously) ran done you dog, I'd say the chances are slim you could hold the driver responsible.

Sometimes drivers who hit pets pay out of the goodness of their hearts - but it's not a law.

(Again, not a lawyer.)

Answer 7

It could go either way. If you have a leash law in your community, then you might not be able to. The dog was not secured to your property behind a fence and not on a leash so that was breaking a law anyway. That, unfortionatly, is probably how a judge would see it if you took them to court. Their is a possibity of partial responsibily though. You might want to try and get the person to split the bills with you.

Melissa

Answer 8

I agree with Psycho. The dog shouldn't have been in the street. I would believe it would be the owners' fault for letting their dog run loose. Unless the dog was on the sidewalk, on a leash, next to the owner.

Answer 9

A dog owner is responsible for his dog. If the dog was running off your property when it was hit you can't sue, but the owner of the car can sue you for damage to his car. If a car ran over your chained dog on your property then they would be responsible.

Answer 10

If you dam dog was running free no the driver of a car is not responsible...that would be the owner of the dog that didn't care enough about keeping their dog safe