Posted on 05/07/2008 6:37:34 AM PDT by Dan Nunn
DULUTH, Minn. - The driver of a 1997 Honda Civic that struck and killed a dog near Cloquet is suing the dog's owners for damage done to his vehicle.
Jeffery Ely was driving on the night of Jan. 4 when Fester, a miniature pinscher, squeezed past owner Nikki Munthe as she was letting in her other dog and ran out onto the road. Ely's car struck Fester, killing the 13-pound dog instantly.
Now Ely is suing the Munthes for about $1,100 for damage to his car, time he had to take off from his two jobs to get the car repaired, and court fees.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
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A 13 pound dog does $1,100 in damages?! Me thinks Jeffery Ely needs to just man up, file an insurance claim and move on.
I can see it.
A 13-lb. rock can do a lot of damage.
This isn’t about the dog, it’s about the owner.
Why does she let her other roam around in the front yard? As far as the damages to the car, he must have been going pretty fast that a 13 pound dog made it possible for the bumer to have gone through the radiator.
$1100 in damages is very easy to do, especially on a Honda. I’m surprised it wasn’t more. But more to the point, if the dog was a cow that got out and destroyed some property, would he not be entitled to damages?...................
Exactly. Toss a 13 pound watermelon at a car moving down the road, say at 30 mph, and you have the makings of a real expensive accident......
I’m glad the owners of the dog are countersuing him. I hope they win.
“A 13-lb. rock can do a lot of damage.”
What about a 13-pound goose-down pillow? I hit a 40 pound traffic barrel and it didn’t scratch my car.
Maybe densidty and mass might have something to do with it.
Probably not to my van, unless you hit the windshield, but definitely to a little car.
I don't know if this guy really has the damage, but if he does, there's something to be said for the dog owner's being liable. It's her responsibility to keep her pets from harming people or property.
I'm sure that's true. I haven't hit anything recently except my lawnmower.
“I haven’t hit anything recently except my lawnmower.”
Ouch. A two-fer. Gotta fix the car AND the mower. :(
Yeah, me too. I can't stand irresponsible pet owners.
Low-speed impact. The car just had a scratch on the bumper, and my son straightened up the mower :-).
I guess it wouldn't occur to you that the driver of the car might be "traumatized" too about killing the dog. I know I wouldn't feel good about hitting a dog.
ML/NJ
Exactly right. My home owner’s insurance will not cover any damages my dogs do.
A friend of mine had a conversion van with one of those air dams on the front that went practically down to the ground. He hit a armadillo on the interstate and there was a perfectly shaped silhouette of an armadillo right in the middle of the front of his van.........IIRC, it was nearly $1000 damages.......in 1979!...........
Dogs sneak out sometimes, even with the most careful of owners.
Sorry for the guy's car, but I have no respect for someone who is doing what he did in these circumstances. I hope he loses.
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