Hi all, I am a young driver who is still driving with a temporary
license. Last night I was driving home at dark on a road where the
speed limit was 45 mph. I kept my speed between 40 and 45 mph, and the
roads were wet as it had rained all of the last two days and there was
still a light rain coming down. As I was driving I saw a dog
running(away from me) in the road; I immediately started to brake, then
realizing that I wasn't braking fast enough, pushed down on the brake
as hard as I ever had before, although not all the way down for fear of
the car skidding. I considered swerving to the left side of the road
to try to avoid the dog, but due to the fact that I was on a hilly,
narrow road that was wet, I decided that that could only make the
situation more dangerous. Despite my best efforts, I hit the dog. I
drove about 1/4 of a mile further, to a local school, and turned around
in the parking lot to go back to where the collision had taken place.
I found the dog, and stopped with my flashers on. My dad and I were
about to get out of the car and check on the dog(which was still alive
and feisty, although its hind legs didn't look good - Our plan of
action was to look for identification, contact the owner, and then
contact a friend of our's who is a vet who could direct us to the
nearest emergency vet). Right before we got out of the car, another
car pulled up beside us. A man, presumably the owner, jumped out of
the car, picked up the dog and immediately sped off. He had a very
concerned look on his face and I am almost positive he must have been
the owner. I rolled down my window so that if he wanted to say
something, he could do so, but he looked at me and then hopped in his
car and drove away.

So, before I go further, I feel awful about this. I lost a pet once
when it got out of the house, got in a fight with another animal, and
lost overnight. I also own 2 cats and a dog now, and can't imagine
losing them to a car accident. If I could find the owner, I would
immediately let him(or the family) know how sorry I am.

Anyhow, my question is...I returned to the scene of the collision, I
was prepared to help out the injured dog, and I believe that by virtue
of my flashers being on, I helped the owner locate the dog. I made
myself availible to talk to the owner, and he didn't choose to, for
good reason(given that he needed to get help for the dog). Based on
what I described above, I honestly believe I did everything in my power
to try to prevent this collision. So, what I would like to know is, am
I legally responsible to do anything else? Should I have contacted the
authorities? Do I still need to contact the authorities? I am
planning on talking to a police officer(a dad of a friend of
mine)...When I do so, is it possible that he could find me at fault for
something and give me a ticket, put points on my license, or something
of that sort?

Thank you very much for your help..I feel awful

wrote:
So, what I would like to know is, am
I legally responsible to do anything else?

(NB: I am not a lawyer.)

I can't imagine that you would be. I don't know where you are, but
I live there is leash law. Even if your jurisdiction does not have
a similar law, it likely recognizes that loose dogs do not belong on
roads. While it is your responsibility to drive carefully and avoid
hitting animals if you can (and it sounds like you did what you
could to avoid hitting this dog), it is ultimately the owner's
responsibility to keep his dog out of harm's way. In fact, if you
had hit the dog and you, your passenger, or your car was harmed, the
dog's owner could well be required to pay your medical and/or repair
bills.

--
Shelly (Warning: see label for details)
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)

wrote:

Hi all, I am a young driver who is still driving with a temporary
license. Last night I was driving home at dark on a road where the
speed limit was 45 mph. I kept my speed between 40 and 45 mph, and the
roads were wet as it had rained all of the last two days and there was
still a light rain coming down. As I was driving I saw a dog
running(away from me) in the road; I immediately started to brake, then
realizing that I wasn't braking fast enough, pushed down on the brake
as hard as I ever had before, although not all the way down for fear of
the car skidding. I considered swerving to the left side of the road
to try to avoid the dog, but due to the fact that I was on a hilly,
narrow road that was wet, I decided that that could only make the
situation more dangerous. Despite my best efforts, I hit the dog. I
drove about 1/4 of a mile further, to a local school, and turned around
in the parking lot to go back to where the collision had taken place.
I found the dog, and stopped with my flashers on. My dad and I were
about to get out of the car and check on the dog(which was still alive
and feisty, although its hind legs didn't look good - Our plan of
action was to look for identification, contact the owner, and then
contact a friend of our's who is a vet who could direct us to the
nearest emergency vet). Right before we got out of the car, another
car pulled up beside us. A man, presumably the owner, jumped out of
the car, picked up the dog and immediately sped off. He had a very
concerned look on his face and I am almost positive he must have been
the owner. I rolled down my window so that if he wanted to say
something, he could do so, but he looked at me and then hopped in his
car and drove away.

So, before I go further, I feel awful about this. I lost a pet once
when it got out of the house, got in a fight with another animal, and
lost overnight. I also own 2 cats and a dog now, and can't imagine
losing them to a car accident. If I could find the owner, I would
immediately let him(or the family) know how sorry I am.

Anyhow, my question is...I returned to the scene of the collision, I
was prepared to help out the injured dog, and I believe that by virtue
of my flashers being on, I helped the owner locate the dog. I made
myself availible to talk to the owner, and he didn't choose to, for
good reason(given that he needed to get help for the dog). Based on
what I described above, I honestly believe I did everything in my power
to try to prevent this collision. So, what I would like to know is, am
I legally responsible to do anything else? Should I have contacted the
authorities? Do I still need to contact the authorities? I am
planning on talking to a police officer(a dad of a friend of
mine)...When I do so, is it possible that he could find me at fault for
something and give me a ticket, put points on my license, or something
of that sort?

Thank you very much for your help..I feel awful


Aw, kiddo... How awful. It sounds like you did all the right things.

In addition to the advice you've already received I have to add that you
need to be *very* careful about approaching an injured animal. About 25
years ago, when my husband and I were dating, he hit a dog that darted
into the road in front of the car. We stopped, went back to try to
help. The dog was laying on the side of the road but when my husband
reached out to try to wrap his jacket around him to pick him up, the dog
bit him on the hand, hard, drawing blood, then ran off. My husband
wound up having to get a series of rabies shots, which was no fun at all.

Kathleen

On 12 Sep 2006 21:48:11 -0700, wrote:

So, before I go further, I feel awful about this. I lost a pet once
when it got out of the house, got in a fight with another animal, and
lost overnight. I also own 2 cats and a dog now, and can't imagine
losing them to a car accident. If I could find the owner, I would
immediately let him(or the family) know how sorry I am.

Anyhow, my question is...I returned to the scene of the collision, I
was prepared to help out the injured dog, and I believe that by virtue
of my flashers being on, I helped the owner locate the dog. I made
myself availible to talk to the owner, and he didn't choose to, for
good reason(given that he needed to get help for the dog). Based on
what I described above, I honestly believe I did everything in my power
to try to prevent this collision. So, what I would like to know is, am
I legally responsible to do anything else? Should I have contacted the
authorities? Do I still need to contact the authorities? I am
planning on talking to a police officer(a dad of a friend of
mine)...When I do so, is it possible that he could find me at fault for
something and give me a ticket, put points on my license, or something
of that sort?

Thank you very much for your help..I feel awful

You'll make more than enough mistakes in your life; so, you need to
start learning to not blame your self for things that are not your
fault.

You did your best, in every aspect of this event. I really mean that. I
agree that you helped the owner locate the dog more quickly, and that
was a major plus.

I am convinced that you are contrite, remorseful and troubled about
this, but I urge you to let it go. Or, if you can't, in memory of this
dog, commit your self to protecting your dog and your future dogs.

FYI, I can't imagine how you could be at fault here. It is our
responsibility to control and safely maintain our animals.

That being said--and truly meant--I know exactly how you feel. One rainy
night about 21 years ago, I hit and killed a black Labrador Retriever.
He came in from the side, and was probably within three feet to the side
of the front corner of my truck, and maybe six feet in front, when I
began to see the silver lines. By that, I mean, I didn't really see the
dog, only silver lines where my headlights reflected off his wet coat.

Even if it had been a human, I could not have stopped any sooner--and it
wouldn't have been soon enough. I probably feel less guilt these days,
but I still sometimes wonder about what I could have done better.

So, don't do as I do: do as I say! :-) I sincerely urge you to not hold
onto this. You don't deserve it.

_________________________
Some trees are ever green.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi all, I am a young driver who is still driving with a temporary
license. Last night I was driving home at dark on a road where the
speed limit was 45 mph. I kept my speed between 40 and 45 mph, and the
roads were wet as it had rained all of the last two days and there was
still a light rain coming down. As I was driving I saw a dog
running(away from me) in the road; I immediately started to brake, then
realizing that I wasn't braking fast enough, pushed down on the brake
as hard as I ever had before, although not all the way down for fear of
the car skidding. I considered swerving to the left side of the road
to try to avoid the dog, but due to the fact that I was on a hilly,
narrow road that was wet, I decided that that could only make the
situation more dangerous. Despite my best efforts, I hit the dog. I
drove about 1/4 of a mile further, to a local school, and turned around
in the parking lot to go back to where the collision had taken place.
I found the dog, and stopped with my flashers on. My dad and I were
about to get out of the car and check on the dog(which was still alive
and feisty, although its hind legs didn't look good - Our plan of
action was to look for identification, contact the owner, and then
contact a friend of our's who is a vet who could direct us to the
nearest emergency vet). Right before we got out of the car, another
car pulled up beside us. A man, presumably the owner, jumped out of
the car, picked up the dog and immediately sped off. He had a very
concerned look on his face and I am almost positive he must have been
the owner. I rolled down my window so that if he wanted to say
something, he could do so, but he looked at me and then hopped in his
car and drove away.

So, before I go further, I feel awful about this. I lost a pet once
when it got out of the house, got in a fight with another animal, and
lost overnight. I also own 2 cats and a dog now, and can't imagine
losing them to a car accident. If I could find the owner, I would
immediately let him(or the family) know how sorry I am.

Anyhow, my question is...I returned to the scene of the collision, I
was prepared to help out the injured dog, and I believe that by virtue
of my flashers being on, I helped the owner locate the dog. I made
myself availible to talk to the owner, and he didn't choose to, for
good reason(given that he needed to get help for the dog). Based on
what I described above, I honestly believe I did everything in my power
to try to prevent this collision. So, what I would like to know is, am
I legally responsible to do anything else? Should I have contacted the
authorities? Do I still need to contact the authorities? I am
planning on talking to a police officer(a dad of a friend of
mine)...When I do so, is it possible that he could find me at fault for
something and give me a ticket, put points on my license, or something
of that sort?

Thank you very much for your help..I feel awful

=======
You sound like a very nice and caring person. The fact is you did all you
could; you tried to avoid the dog, you stopped the car to look at the
injured dog, but the owner came and scooped up the dog, the conditions were
poor and it was not your fault, as the dog should not have been out loose.
It was a very bad experience for you to have to go through, especially being
a new driver.
These things happen and on wet slippery roads, it is always best to drive
slower than the speed limit in case you have to stop quickly. I would feel
awful, too, but it was not your fault that the dog somehow got out and was
running around on the road. You have to be satisfied with the fact, that
you did the best you could at that moment. That could have happened to
anyone, and most likely had nothing to do with your lack of driving
experience.