As I mentioned in this thread When my pup Jake got his by a truck last weekend, the first thing the guy said was who is going to pay for my truck" There was damage to the fender, headlight, and under the bumper. Jake weighs 25 lbs.
Police were called, no one cited.
Asshole guy showed up on my doorstep today with an estimate for repairs. I told him I wasn’t interested. He said his insurance company would be contacting me. I told him I didn’t care what his insurance company did. He then demanded that I take that piece of paper. I told him I wasn’t interested and then shut the door in his face.
What a fucking dick. It cost me $700 for emergency treatment for my pup. Should I present him with that bill?
seriously. was there any legal reason that your dog should not have been where he was? leash laws, etc.? if not, it’s his fault and he does owe you for the vet bill. if he presses, press back. if he sues, countersue. don’t let this jerk get to you.
Even without a leash law, it still might not be the driver’s fault. If the driver was obeying all traffic laws and generally acting non-negligently then it’s not his fault that he hit Jake.
I think the guy is acting a bit jerkish, but don’t assume the accident was his fault and that he owes for vet bills.
I know this is harsh, but I’m in complete agreement with the truck driver.
I’ve been in the same position as him where someone couldn’t contain their animal and my car was damaged. More importantly, other humans were endangered both in my car (my son and myself) and on the side of the road when I swerved.
And now that I’m solidly in his mindset, I should tell you that if the person who allowed their dog to endanger my son’s life had slammed the door in my face, I would have gone to great lengths to legally hurt them. Great lengths.
I’m sorry your dog was hurt, but this was entirely your fault.
Streets are not playgrounds for puppies. If you had any sense and cared about your dog, you wouldn’t let it out of your yard where it could run into the street. My sister was once taken to the hospital on a backboard because we were rearended trying to keep from hitting someone’s dog. What a stupid self-centered view point. YES you owe him for the damage to his truck. No, he doesn’t owe you for the vet bill. There’s these things called FENCES. Build one and keep your dog in your yard. Yes there’s an effin’ asshole involved here, but it isn’t the driver.
Bill H, I am not sure if you meant ‘your fault’ as in legally liable or ‘your fault’ as in ‘why-didn’t-you-do-something-about-it-you-lazy-hoe’, but as someone who’s lived with a dog that figured out how to open almost every kind of clip, hitch and buckle, and hung himself off the side of his house so he could slip out of the collar, there’s no indication here she didn’t make every reasonable effort to make sure the dog stayed tied/penned up. (sounds like her dog’s quite a bit smaller than mine, though! )
Also, while in that other person’s mindset, would you have shown up at her door and behaved in the same manner he had? Would you NOT have seen to the welfare of the dog after striking it, even if angry? instead, would you have gone up to the house and asked rudely who planned on paying for the repairs to the car? If that man had approached this situation with more calmness and consideration towards all parties involved, I would wager this thread would not even exist.
There is also apparantly doubt as to whether or not the extensive damage to his truck was caused by hitting a 25 lb dog. Sounds like the guy hit a deer.
[IMNSHO]
On a side note, I’ve had more animals than I can count do the suicide run in front of my car at all times, day and night, and the only ones I’ve not been able to avoid (other than that squirrel last week ) were a mother cat with 3 babies trailing (went under the car, not under the wheels, thank god) and a cat which decided to cross the road at a mad dash when I was a cpl meters away. If I were to hit a dog, I would not be likely to blame the owner.
[/IMNSHO]
Noemally I would agree with you , but in this case, it doesn’t sound like the guy was at all concerned about passangers in is car. It sound like he is only concerned about the damage to his precious truck. He didn’t say anything like “Your dog could have killed us!” He said “Who’s going to pay for my truck?” He sounds like a heartless bastard who deserves all the shit he is going to have to go through if he actually wants you to pay for the damage. I know that if I hit someone else’s puppy, I would be crushed. I defenatly wouldn’t demand that they fix my car.That would be the last thing on my mind.
Well, now that we’re arguing, the law is very clear. Tying your dog up is not enough. If your dog bites my child, you are at fault. If your dog runs in front of my car, you are at fault. And the law doesn’t care if your dog can “open almost every kind of clip, hitch and buckle”. If you can’t control your dog and your dog causes damage, it is entirely your fault. And if it’s your fault, the moral thing to do, the legally mandated thing to do is to pay for the damages you caused.
I read the original thread when The Mermaid wrote it. I felt the same then, but didn’t post because the thread was about the pain she felt that her dog was hurt. And I sympathise with that. But this thread is different. This thread is calling the victim the attacker. And in very strong language.
Man, I was driving my brand new Corolla through town the other day, and outta nowhere, this skateboarder hops off the curb in front of me. Well, yeah it was a posted school zone and the kid was in the crosswalk, but he was old enough to know that cars have the rightofway between the curbs. I don’t drive on your sidewalks, so pedestrians, stay the fuck off my street.
So, even tho I swerve to avoid him (spilling my beer in the process), the brat bounces off my front right fender. Tho it is gonna make me late, I stop to check out the damage - oh yeah, and to see if the kid was okay. Whaddya know but the snot’s helmet left a crease the length of my quarterpanel. Sure, it probaby saved his life, but if the kid had been considerate enough to not wear a helmet, his soft skull would have deflected off my car without damging it (the car, that is) and I wouldn’t have a dent in my new car right now. On top of that, I think his braces scratched my paint job too.
If he had regained consciousness before I left, I would have found out his address and given his parents a piece of my mind. But he looked comfortable crumpled up on the parkway, so I just swiped his walkman and drove over his skateboard while driving away. Damn kids!
As I said at the very beginning of my post, I didn’t know which ‘your fault’ you were commenting on. The legal liability, I agree, she may very well be legally liable for the damage. This does not keep this guy from being an asshole, however as laws vary, we cannot know for sure if she is liable or not, and I’m sure this guy’s lawyer will be happy to find out for the both of them. If he is truly so inclined. She said noone was cited by the police, who were called to the original scene.
Anyhow, since you decline to comment on whether your behaviour would have paralleled this man’s such an extent, I can most certainly respect your POV.
I’m still speculating how a dog that size can damage a fender.
First of all, “should I present him with the vet bill” was a rhetorical question. I never intended to anything of the sort.
I take full responsibility for my dog and never tried to do otherwise. But I believe that this guy is trying to put something over on me. The police came and didn’t issue any citations or anything. If necessary my homeowner’s insurance will pay for his damages IFthey are deemed to be my responsibility.
How do you know I don’t have fences or that I wasn’t trying to contain my dog. I had made it clear in my original thread that Jake was on a tie out chain. I do have a fence around my entire 10 acres But somehow he managed to get off that chain and down the drive before we knew it.
I don’t blame the man for hitting my dog, it was an accident pure and simple. I do blame him for trying to make me pay for damage that I think was already there. He didn’t hit a pole or any other object than my little dog but there is obvious damage to his fender, headlight and below the bumper. I don’t intend to pay for that. If anyone can tell me how my dog caused that damage, I would be impressed.
pohjonen I strongly object to you calling me an asshole when you are either too stupid or too lazy too fond of your own opinon to take the time to get all the facts before posting a retort. Bite me [sub] just so you know, that last remark is me being an asshole [/sub]
Those who did not read Mermaid’s link, as pohjonen evidently didn’t, please do so. Jake had been on a leash but got loose and there is also the problem of exactly how the truck was so badly damaged. I am sorry that Jake was hit, I’ve lost a cat because Dad had no idea Shadow was hiding in the engine compartment. I have no doubt that the driver will raise a big stink about this and possibly take you to court, in which case you should be prepared. I hate to say this, maybe he hit Jake intentionally. See if you can find a mechanic who is an expert in collisions, this person should be able to tell you how fast the guy was going in order to cause so much damage. Or if the damage was there prior to the incident. Demand you want a second opinion on the repair bill and be suspicious if he refuses. Canvas the neighborhood for witnesses. If a witness can’t be found of the incident itself, maybe one who can relate the guy’s driving habits can. Especially if he’s in the neighborhood on a regular basis.
Upon preview, Mermaid has 10 acres. Could be a problem with finding witnesses.
Again, Bill H., you neglected to fully read the OP in either thread. The Mermaid is saying that her small, 25lb puppy could not have caused the damage that this guy is trying to saddle her with paying for. He was driving a truck. The headlight was broken. A [sub][sup]small[/sup][/sub] dog couldn’t physically cause damage to an area of a LARGE truck that would be out of its reach.
It’s my understanding from reading her posts that she feels the damage to his truck was pre-existing and therefore NOT her responsibility.
AND, the police were called to the scene and examined the evidence and DIDN’T site anyone. IOW, the police said it wasn’t her fault.
Mermaid, I hope your puppy heals soon. I’ll send some warm puppy thoughts his way.
Before this thread gets too far off the topic, I guess I should be clear about the reasons I think this guy is an asshole. Not that anyone else but me should care but here goes.
The first words he said to me were “who’s gonna pay” not I’m sorry he’s hurt.
He flatly told me He didn’t care if the dog was hurt or even where he was.
I told him I would pay if it was determined that is was my fault. That hasn’t been determined yet.
He showed up at my door and just shoved this piece of paper in my face in an aggressive manner and spoke to me in a very hostile tone of voice. That is why I slammed the door in his face.
He never even asked if the dog had survived or inquired about him in any manner.
Just my humble opinion but this gives him a 5-star asshole score in my book.
My car was totalled a couple of years ago after I hit a cow. According to my insurance agent, hitting a cow is treated as hitting a deer. Unless it is found that the owner of the cattle is consistently negligent about fencing. Which he was - his cows were out all the time.
If Mermaid was ALWAYS letting her dog loose she’d be at fault…but she’s NOT always letting her dog loose; he just got loose. This is an ACCIDENT.
Mermaid, I recommend you contact your homeowner’s insurance agent and see what s/he has to say. I also think you should apologize to the people in this thread who believe you are a horrible person for letting your dog run wild as you are obviously less perfect than they. :rolleyes:
I’d sure check with the company that gave him this estimate and all other body shops in that area to see if he’d ever obtained an earlier estimate with a date prior to the accident.
)
) were a mother cat with 3 babies trailing (went under the car, not under the wheels, thank god) and a cat which decided to cross the road at a mad dash when I was a cpl meters away. If I were to hit a dog, I would not be likely to blame the owner.
as laws vary, we cannot know for sure if she is liable or not, and I’m sure this guy’s lawyer will be happy to find out for the both of them. If he is truly so inclined. She said noone was cited by the police, who were called to the original scene.