Accident with a dog on the motorway

I was driving today on the M32, on the fast lane at 70mph and a dog just rushed, from the centre barrier rails onto my path, I tried to brake but had no time, unfortunately it got hit. I stopped at the scene but didn't have my mobile on me to report to the police so I drove to my local police station and reported the incident. Apparently they have found the dog owner and they are saying she is too distressed to talk at the moment, so the police will call me back to give me her details and they said I should report it too my insurance company. My car is damaged, broken nearside headlamp, radiator pushed into the turbo charger, coolant leaking, power steering fluid leaking, and bumper damaged. The dog died unfortunately. Which party is at fault here, me or the dog owner? I feel really bad and have a bit of shock, now. I feel bad for the dog, my car can run but I will have to fix it as the cooling fans are jammed against the turbocharger, power steering cooling pipe leaking, coolant leaking, possibly damaged radiator, will need new bumper and headlamp. Possibly will need new intercooler too.

her! anyone who can't control their dog, and it ends up causing an accident like this should be shot!

inform your ins co, and get them to chase the owner, that's what we pay our premiums for

(i am a dog owner btw)

oooh not nice at all Glad you're ok though....and before anyone shouts I am a dog owner and animal lover.

Animals are not allowed on the motorway, therefore my gut instinct would be that the owner is at fault for allowing the dog to be there, out of control

Road Traffic Accidents Involving Dogs
The Road Traffic Act 1988 covers dogs involved in road traffic accidents and also makes it an offence for a dog to be offlead on a designated road.

liability

hope you get sorted soon Denis

I feel pretty bad, I do night shifts and I haven't slept since finishing work at 6 am. I will inform the insurance to chase it. I hope I haven't done anything wrong, as I have reported it to the police? Can she turn back and try sue me for a dog that was on the motorway?
I couldn't stop at all, at 70 miles per hour, and to my left there were cars, to the right was the motorway centre barrier, no where to go to avoid it.

Oh that's awful. I feel for you and the poor dog and its owner.

I'm no expert on liability but, in terms of who's to blame, I would think that the dog owner would be at fault for allowing the dog to be there.

However, your insurance company would be very unlikely to try to recover money from the dog owner unless they had pet insurance. Leaving you to pursue a claim against the owner in the Small claims Court.:shrug:

As I say,though, I might be totally wrong.:shrug:

Having read that useful tract from Maggy, it's pretty clear that the owner is responsible.
It also looks like these compensation companies are well used to this type of case.

Thanks guys/girls for the advice. I feel a bit at ease now. The police asked me if I was injured, I said no and they asked if there was any damage to the car and I told them the damage. The police woman at the station said the other cop who was dealing with the case will contact me tomorrow with the details of the dog owner as she is too distressed to talk at the moment. They also gave me the log number for the incident and they told me to give that to the insurance company.

I went to report the accident to the police as I thought it would be a crime not to report it. Thanks guys at least I now know the owner is responsible for the damages. Poor dog, I feel very bad.

I won't drive the car as it is to prevent further damage, luckily my mate has lent me his car so I will use that to go to work.
Was a shocking collision, dog appeared about 2 meters in front of the car, I slammed the brakes, but at that speed, the ABS kicked in so the pedal was pulsating and the car couldn't stop within 2 meters from 70 mph.

Sorry to hear about this Denis. Yes, you have to report a collision with a dog but not a cat. Mans' best friend and all that.

Maybe outlining your crash dillemma to the owner via an email, just like you've done here, will show the owner that you're not a malicious person and had no options other than those that would have put human lives at risk in those few milliseconds before the crash. It will be a cold comfort but I'm sure the police will deliver it to the owner for you if asked nicely.

Hopefully, your car will be ok too. At least you're ok and that's what really counts. :yesnod:

either way no nice for you or the dog regardless of blame

Quite shocking for you but I agree with the others (and I have 2 mutts) - loose animals have no place on a motorway and the accident could have been a lot worse if you had spun or been rear ended while braking hard. You were right to report it and it's good that the Police know who the owner is.

Richard

The car not working is just an inconvenience, as now I have to drive my mate's car to work and will have to possibly spend money to repair the car. I hope the dog owner doesn't try to sue me for this as that will be a real headache as there is nothing I could do and the dog shouldn't have been there. Happened at a really bad time, christmass, approaching, car's Mot due in January, just more expenses now. Bad and sorry for the dog, but could have been worse if it had resulted in other cars getting involved, or someone getting injured or killed as a result. I don't feel like driving a car anymore now.

I feel for you and understand your inability to avoid this accident: leaving a safe braking distance from the car in front is one thing but we progress along any road in the hope that nothing and no-one will pop out in front of us. In a previous job when I spent most of the day in the car I collected two deer in 4 months.

You ought to thank your lucky stars that the dog didn't come up over the bonnet and through your windscreen: you might be posting from a hospital bed otherwise.

I have dogs, we had cats for many years and, frankly, flat cat was an occupational hazard which we experienced too often. If my dog ever caused an accident I have no doubt that I would be responsible.

You should not have to bear the cost of repair but I'd leave it in the hands of my insurance company.