If you hit a dog that wandered into the road who is responsible for damage to the car the car owner or the dog owner?

Answer

Possibly. It depends on the leash laws in your city/county, and whether or not an area would be considered "open range" (and, further, whether an open range status would apply to all domestic animals).

If your own carrier is handling your vehicle damages, they will probably research whether billing the homeowner is an option or not. If you're not going through your carrier, you'll need to do that research on your own.

How the loss occurred is important, too. For instance, was it at night? Was the dog sitting in the road, or did it run out between two cars? How fast were you going if it was a residential area? That sort of thing...

Answer

It's commendable that you're taking responsibility (trust me, you don't see that a lot in the claims environment), but you should definitely contact your insurance carrier for homeowners coverage.

Handling a claim like this out-of-pocket can be astronomically expensive, especially if you find yourself dealing with an unscrupulous body shop (or vehicle owner, for that matter). You can incur costs not only for the damages, but for supplement or hidden damages and rental.

And, again, there's a possibility that depending on the laws or ordinances in your area, you may not be legally responsible. While you clearly want to accept responsibility, your lawmakers may have determined that folks driving in your neighborhood should exercise more caution, and drive accordingly.

Something to think about...

Good luck!

Answer

While I realize that there are different laws in different areas, if the dog wandered in front of the car, I think that the owner should be responsible. I personally own two dogs and treat them as loved members of our family. This means keeping them safe by keeping them in a yard or in the house. Morally, it is the dog's owner who is responsible for the dog's actions and any repercussions.

Of course, legally may be a different matter. We live in the country and there is a leash law out here. The law agrees with me here is Central Texas.

First answer by Anonymous. Last edit by anonymous. Question popularity: 71 [recommend question]