Does my car insurance cover hitting a dog?
It's important to drive carefully so you don't hit pedestrians, pets, etc. Car insurance will cover damage to your car after hitting a dog if you have comprehensive coverage. Unfortunately, liability coverage will not cover veterinary costs, and you may be responsible for any vet bills if you cannot find the owner of the dog. Depending on the situation, the owner may ask you to pay vet bills.
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Content Team Lead
Tonya Sisler has been a technical insurance writer for over five years. She uses her extensive insurance and finance knowledge to write informative articles that answer readers' top questions. Her mission is to provide readers with timely, accurate information that allows them to determine their insurance needs and choose the best coverage. Tonya currently leads a team of 10 insurance copywri...
Tonya Sisler
Licensed Insurance Agent
Eric Stauffer is an insurance agent and banker-turned-consumer advocate. His priority is educating individuals and families about the different types of insurance coverage. He is passionate about helping consumers find the best coverage for their budgets and personal needs. Eric is the CEO of C Street Media, a full-service marketing firm and the co-founder of ProperCents.com, a financial educat...
Eric Stauffer
Updated November 2024
You face obstacles on the road every day. Whether you’re commuting to work on a rainy day or you’re battling a reckless driver, getting out of the way for obstacles is something that comes with the territory when you’re a licensed driver.
Unfortunately, when you’re dealing with an animal, you can never predict how they’ll react when they have free reign to run on the road. This applies whether you’re talking about a deer or neighborhood dog or cat.
In most states, dog owners are expected to have their animals under control at all times. Dogs should be in the house, in a fenced area, or on a leash. If they are not, the owner may face some degree of liability should they bite someone or cause other damage.
If a dog gets loose and runs into the street, maneuvering your car out of the way can be difficult. If you’re unable to get out of the way and you hit a dog, let’s discuss your responsibilities.
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- If you hit a dog, the first thing to do is to find a way to move the animal off of the road if it’s still alive
- Since dogs are classified as property, your liability coverage won’t pay for any medical treatment
- If you don’t know who owns the dog and you take it to the vet, you could be held responsible for paying the bills
- A pet owner may sue for vet bills under certain circumstances, but damages are limited
- If your car is damaged and you have full coverage, your comprehensive coverage will kick in to pay for car repairs
What Should You Do after You Hit A Dog?
A dog isn’t just an animal; it’s a pet. In many families, pets are like additional family members. If you hit someone’s pet, you can’t just drive off and expect someone else to handle it.
The law says that you have to stop, or you could be convicted of cruelty to animals. Some states have harsher penalties financially and otherwise than others. If you can’t safely stop, the other option would be to call 911 to report the incident.
Of course, before anything like this happens, you should consider general legal obligations. For example, were you following the speed limit when you hit the dog? Even a few mph can make a big difference in this type of accident.
If the dog is alive but injured, always approach with caution. Dogs that are in distress may be aggressive with strangers. When the dog is overly aggressive, it’s best to let animal control officers or law enforcement take over so that they can get the dog help ASAP.
When the dog appears to be okay, it’s still important to notify authorities so that the owner can be contacted and they can take precautions. This is true even if you think you’re dealing with wild animals. You should always leave it up to trained professionals to attend to their needs and get them off the road.
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Are you liable for the dog’s injuries?
It’s not irrational to think that you could be held responsible for injuring or killing someone’s pet if you hit them while operating your vehicle.
You are liable for injuring people when you’re driving, but you’re not liable for injuring a dog or any other type of pet when it’s roaming around in the road.
If it can be proven that you intentionally hit the dog or you were negligent in driving into the owner’s property, you could be found liable.
What Could You Be Liable for after Hitting a Domestic Animal?
Under state and federal law, dogs are classified as property even though they are living beings. So if a dog gets loose in the road and gets hit, they would be treated like property. Lawsuits for things like pain and suffering are unlikely to go anywhere.
If there’s anything suggesting it was intentional or things weren’t handled correctly, it could lead to criminal liability. The pet owner, in most cases, would have to pursue it.
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When could you be held responsible for the vet bill?
If the dog doesn’t have a tag and you can’t locate the owner, think twice before you take the dog to the vet on your own.
While dog owners typically don’t have a case against you if you hit the dog in the street, you could still be responsible for veterinary bills if you take the dog to the doctor yourself.
By signing the initial paperwork, you’re agreeing to pay for the medical treatment that the dog needs to recover from the injuries. It’s best to let animal control officers take the dog in for treatment so that you don’t get stuck paying the bill out of your own pocket.
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Will your insurance company pay for your vehicle repairs?
Once you move the animal out of the road and fulfill your responsibility there, you can start to assess the damage to your vehicle.
If there is body damage or you swerved to miss the dog and hit something else, you need to look over your auto insurance to see if you have coverage that will help pay for the repairs.
When you’re in a collision with a live animal, you need to carry comprehensive insurance on your insurance policy to pay for the portion of the repairs.
You will have to pay your deductible first, but once the deductible is paid your insurer will pay up to the fair market value of the car to have it repaired or replaced.
How can you get your car repaired if you don’t have full coverage?
If you don’t have full coverage on your vehicle, it’s still possible that you could get help repairing your vehicle through the dog owner. Technically, the owner of the dog can be held liable when their dog’s actions caused damage to your property.
It might not feel right to ask for help repairing your car, but the law works in your favor.
You may want to try and work directly with the dog owner before you take further action.
If the owner isn’t trying to help you, you must take the next step by filing a claim through their homeowner’s insurance.
The dog owner’s property insurance will pay if the owner is liable for damaging property or injuring people, even if it’s away from home.
What does it mean when your insurance company goes through subrogation?
The insurance company’s job is to help you pay for your repairs as quickly as possible.
If you’ve received a payout under your comprehensive coverage and then the insurer locates the dog’s owner, it’s possible that the carrier could subrogate by taking the owner to court.
If the company wins, the owner would have to reimburse the insurer for what it paid.
Filing a claim after you hit a dog can get complicated. In most cases, an accident involving a live animal isn’t classified as an at-fault claim because it’s beyond your control.
Make sure you build a policy with just enough coverage to help you in all possible scenarios. Get a quote for comprehensive coverage by visiting an online comparison tool and see how affordable it can be.
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