Hit a dog running away from his owner. How should I proceed?

i've been in a situation where my insurance company has provided me with a LAWYER free of charge...

your insurance company will help you get money for damages from someone else, rather than pay out themselves. talk to your insurance company.

if your insurance company is not helpful go see a lawyer - the lawyer will send you to see THEIR DOCTOR - that will get things moving..

Macs said:

IANAL:

Your insurance will probably find you 100% at fault. You can pursue small claims charges against the dog owner if you wish

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Please elaborate. I would also inquire where this info was sourced from.

Macs said:

IANAL:

Your insurance will probably find you 100% at fault. You can pursue small claims charges against the dog owner if you wish

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uh no.. my friend totaled her brand new car hitting a deer. not at fault claim, and her insurance never went up. Technically, owner can be found liable; dependant on amount of damages, they may go after the dog owner.

gptt916 said:

Please elaborate. I would also inquire where this info was sourced from.

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H4x0rz said:

uh no.. my friend totaled her brand new car hitting a deer. not at fault claim, and her insurance never went up. Technically, owner can be found liable; dependant on amount of damages, they may go after the dog owner.

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Untwist your panties, the original post read as if he stopped too hard and flipped the bike to avoid the dog.

Macs said:

Untwist your panties, the original post read as if he stopped too hard and flipped the bike to avoid the dog.

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no it doesn't....says impact first, then crash. does not say braked too hard, did a stoppy and flipped over. concentrate now.

OP. Do not trivialize your injuries. They can come back to haunt you. Get a 100% check out by a doctor familiar with your type of injuries.

Good luck on the rest.

I agree with those telling you to gather info. Talk to your insurance company. Talk to the dog owner. Talk to the police/get the report (they may be able to provide some precedent with how these things proceed). Give the dog owner the benefit of doubt, make sure the pup was okay, then bring up your expenses. Just figure out all your options, have as much as possible in writing, make as few commitments as possible (share as little of your own info, as to what you're thinking of doing or what your insurance told you to the dog owner, etc) so that you can make the best decision for YOU. I was in a similar situation, and at the time the guy agreed to pay, then he was talking to his friends and family or whatever and changed his mind. I didn't bother calling the police to report the accident because he said he'd pay... and of course, my insurance wanted an accident report. So I kind of screwed myself by not getting anything in writing and not getting all my info straight before taking action.

Wow this really sucks... I have a dog and I couldn't imagine if something happened to her... this is really a ****** situation for everyone involved although I'd like to know if the dog was ok. Regardless the owner is responsible and should either pay or have his insurance pay... I don't think its vindictive to seek compensation, its not like your asking for the animal to be put down or something(if its still alive)... as sorry as I'm sure you are about any injuries to the dog, doesn't mean you should have to take responsibility for the mistake of the owner not handling his dog in an area with cars/vehicles.

I wouldn't let my dog off leash any where near a road, and I'v also trained her very well that she wouldn't run away from me and not listen to me except in the rarest of circumstances(not even chasing after an animal) but this is the EXACT reason why I'v trained her so strictly, because I couldn't bear to have her run out into a road ignoring my calls to stop and then get hit by something killing her.

Another commentator is right about being careful in making sure your injuries are properly seen to, its not uncommon for accidents to happen and the people involved to brush it off as nothing, they're ok.... then awhile down the road they start to hurt in those area's..... and ache.... and it starts to effect their life, their work... its much harder to make a claim down the road after its been settled, if not impossible.