So just how far over the speed limit was Mr. Ely driving, on a residential street? Remember, this was a 13 pound dog. And how closely was he paying attention to the road? He could just as easily have hit a child who darted into the road. Seems to me there's a reckless driving conviction waiting to happen here. And then a suit from the dog owners for the loss of their dog plus intentional infliction of emotional distress for suing them over the damage to his car!
What a loser. One can only hope he has reason to apply for a new job in the relatively near future. Employers pretty routinely Google the names of potential hires these days. This guy's employment prospects would be toast.
One cannot automatically assume that he was speeding. 25 -30 mph is sufficient for major damages, plus these newer cars all have plastic fascias for bumpers instead of steel. While I lament the loss of the dog, it should have been under the owner’s complete control. Yes, I know animals are unpredictable and will do such things as this, but you have to consider that the driver of the vehicle was not responsible for the damages to his vehicle. Had this been an inanimate object rolling out of the garage and into the street, the home owner would have been just as liable for damages. The fact that it was a dog, and the dog was killed, injects a cloud of feelings of sympathy to obscure the logical reasoning of responsibility of the dog owner.......
He was either going really fast, or his car was falling apart (or both).
Why automatically assume this is a “residential” street with a 25 or 30 mph speed limit? I live on a state highway with 55mph speed limit & the pavement is throwing distance from the house. Many people in the Midwest live in rural areas where highway speeds are perfectly legal.