My dog was hit by a contractor in my driveway..... Is his insurance able to cover my bills?

[hockeybc69]

Hard topic to describe.

We got hit hard by hail on July 1st.

We have had contractors in and out trying to sell their business.

Yesterday a guy pulled in my driveway and hit my 15 month old yellow lab. (The little girl in my avatar actually)

She got her back leg pinned under his tire when he stopped. My son saw it happen and I cant even describe the look on his poor face when he came running through the door. And when he said, "Brie just got hit by a truck?"; I cant describe what happened to me.

Brie came out of this with very minimal damage. I have no clue how, but she has no broken bones. Just lacerations and abrasions on the inside of her right rear leg.

The guy was just distraught and I tried to comfort him to say my dog ran out of the woods.

In the same breath, now I am wondering if I can at least get my bills paid for.

We are probably looking at about $400-$500 when this is all said and done. Not major, but Brie was on my property when he pulled in on my driveway and hit her about 50 ft up my driveway.

So this is nothing about road right-of-ways or even on the township road.

Should/could their insurance or bonding cover my bills???

I cant believe her. She is using the leg, and isnt showing severe distress. To imagine that her leg was pinned under his front tire and he had to back up to get her out,,,, just isnt something I can comprehend.

Soooo soooo lucky for her.

My poor son wont even talk about it. He told me last night to drop it and just stared at the floor.

Knowing how close he is with her just makes it so much more special that she is doing so good. He spent all day with her today and babied her.

So anyway, back on topic. What can I do???

[Ufatz]

I believe all the folks will join me in wishing your dog a long and happy life and a speedy recovery.

[Superduty]

I work for a very large company. Let's just say this company delivers millions of packages per day and has thousands of trucks on the road every day. Accidents happen, dogs have been known to be run over and even killed by these trucks. If it happens on a public street/road, and the driver does everything right but the dog still ends up hit. The company is not liable. The owner should have had control of his/her dog. If it happens in a private driveway, the company is liable. The owner had his pet confined to his property. I have seen this situation handled by a large company. Trust me, the company is happy to only pay vet bills!

[LightningBG]

You guys are so right.

Shame on me.

I got the bills paid for. LOL

They did a stand up thing. I sure hope you guys never hit someones dog, cuz those poor folks are gonna have fun reasoning with you people.

Off to the next subject.

No shame in asking. Glad to hear they paid for it. I would have paid for it if I was to hit someones dog too. But talking about insurance and lawyers goes a little far.

[Whoaru99]

You guys are so right.

Shame on me.

I got the bills paid for. LOL

They did a stand up thing. I sure hope you guys never hit someones dog, cuz those poor folks are gonna have fun reasoning with you people.

Off to the next subject.

There's a big difference between obligated/legally responsible to pay and paying because one (or a company) thinks it's the right thing to do. You seemed primarily focused on somehow the driver being legally responsible so that's the direction a good many of the responses came from.

You're right, they did a stand up thing...or maybe they just paid you off because in the end $500 is probably cheaper than having to show up in small claims court or whatever, regardless if they won or lost.

[Tom7227]

Shame on us for spending time trying to help you and others understand the situation.

Gotta love the LOL.

LOL the next time you try to get some advice out of this HSOforum.

[Ufatz]

Well fellas, can this thread be over now. I feel sorta like I need a shower or a diuretic of some sort.

I have a bad taste in my mouth about this thing but my hope is the dog is well and will live a happy and long life.

Sorry. Maybe its just an old guy thing.

[Fredd]

I was feeling the same as Superduty in that if the UPS, USPS or FEDEX would hit your dog on your property they would be liable whether your pet was controlled or not. As far as some of the negative tones from some of the posters, I think they were unnecessary. The whole idea behind this HSOforum is to have open conversation on varied topics. Your topic was obviously making people think about the issue from different perspectives. Good luck to you, and don't feel like you wasted anyone's time.

[harvey lee]

I would be happy that my dog survived without lifelong issues.

I was the guy in a truck once that pulled into a driveway and hit a dog.

The dog came flying up towards the truck and ran right under the truck.

The costs for the dog was close to $2,500 for medical bills.

I talked to the company I worked for and said the dude was a good customer and if the company insurance would pay it, that would be good.

The company paid the bill as the insurance company attornies said they could have no control over where a dog ran.

This fellow told everyone how well the company I worked for took care of his dog's bills.