Ask Lemmy

You stop and talk to the owner.

Maybe the owner didn’t know what happened, maybe the dog had internal injuries that it’s not presenting and needs to go to the vet.

The rest is secondary, an animal’s life is worth more then an insurance claim.

Personally, I would gone immediately. That said, it was a high stress, emotional, and scary situation. What's done is done, there's nothing that going back now would accomplish. If you really feel bad enough to go back and explain what happened, I would suggest a letter instead. Let's you get it off your chest, let's the owner know what happened, and doesn't risk a physical altercation because the owner is upset about you not stopping immediately.

If it makes you feel any better, I've had 3 dogs hit by cars. The first survived, the driver did not stop. A neighbor told us. The second was lost and it took me hours to find him because the driver did not stop. It was devastating, and frankly, I've never gotten over his death. He was small, though, and it was night. I work off the assumption the driver thought he was a opossum or raccoon or something.

The third was hit twice, both times the driver stopped. Both times the driver was just as upset as I was, and we comforted each other. It wasn't their fault. It was my fault for not staying in top of fence maintaince, or assuming because I live in the middle of nowhere that's it's safe to let them run. Most dog owners aren't going to blame you, unless you're driving recklessly or aiming for the dog.

You're okay. It's a horrible situation, but you didn't do it on purpose, you didn't do it out of malice. You're still a good person. Be nice to yourself and try to move past this.

In the future do not turn to your kid to ask her what she thinks you should do, unless your kid is an adult.

For now, if there’s no way to help then there’s no way to help.

One option you have is to leave your contact info. Doing this will likely lead to some financial responsibility for the dog’s care.

Finally, when passing close next to a line of cars go very slowly so you can stop in the short time it takes an animal to cross that tiny distance to your car.

Dogs are fast though, and low. Forgive yourself for the slip-up.

I'm sorry, that's horrible. Did anyone else see what happened and stop? If so, chat to them first and see if they'd be comfortable backing you up on what happened (dog ran out, no time to react). Hopefully that's not needed, but you never know.

I saw that exact thing happen when the car in front of me hit a dog. Poor thing was dying on the road and I heard someone down the street whistling for their dog to come inside. I went and told them what happened, and made sure to say that the driver is distraught and absolutely could not have done anything to avoid the dog. Fucking sucks for everyone involved

It's okay to feel bad for the dog, but in which country would you be responsible for the vet costs, when it's the owners responsibility to keep the dog safe?

Edit: I would only approach the owner if you feel you can do so safety, you don't know how people will react, explain what happened and leave.

I think it is appropriate to stop and offer an apology for your part in it, even though this wasn't really your fault.

I'll also note, it's not too late. You did have to get your kid to school after all, but you can still drop by at some point. You could offer them a small housewarming-type gift if you wanted, just a token to go with the apology. While this probably wouldn't really compensate anything, a small token would at least be a little neighborly.

You should tell us which legislation and society.

I wonder why no one is saying that since the dog was not properly leashed, it is the dog owner who is at fault. In fact, he would be responsible to pay for any damages to your car.

I don't think there's any way you'll be responsible for this lol