General Discussion
our lovely cocker spaniel was hit by a car in the Holcombe dip last Saturday evening. She died a few hours later. To the person who hit her I would say it wasn't your fault but I hope you are ashamed of yourself for not stopping to see if you could help her. You showed not an ounce of human kindness. To the many people who did stop, thank you very much, and to the lady who drove her and my distraught daughter to the vets immediately, special thanks.You restore my faith in human nature.
did any body see what car it was ? might be alble to trace it.
Sorry for your loss. dogs are like one of the family. i know how sad it can be.
A driver is supposed to remain at the scene of such an incident, however:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069853
[Laws HA 1835 sect 72, R(S)A 1984, sect 129(5)]
Dogs. Do not let a dog out on the road on its own. Keep it on a short lead when walking on the pavement, road or path shared with cyclists or horse riders.
Every year in the UK there are numerous road accidents caused by stray animals making their way onto our roads. When you’re being taught to drive, the general rule is that you shouldn’t swerve to avoid an animal if there is a chance it could affect other drivers around you. Many drivers instinctively do the opposite however – swerving away from the path of an animal in order to avoid hurting it.
The danger with this is that often the driver will then cause greater damage by hitting another car, colliding with road signs or other stationary objects or even hitting pedestrians. The sad fact is that many of these accidents could have been less severe had the car hit the animal and the driver could possibly have made a compensation claim for any injuries.
There are various laws that exist in regards to traffic accidents with animals and these vary on the type of animal involved. In all circumstances though, if you are involved in an accident where an animal has been killed or injured you are required by law to remain at the scene of the accident.
So sorry to hear that - my heart goes out to you. To lose a pet is like losing a member of the family. Surely, even if it wasn't safe to stop on the main road, they could have pulled in. Some people beggar belief, but I just hope they are the minority.
No I dont know what make of car it was Dallas. As I said, it wasnt his fault, it was an accident but, regardless of the law and the Highway code, there are some actions we take which make us human - and two of these are kindness and compassion. Another one is integrity. The driver of this particular vehicle didn't demonstrate any of these qualities and personally I think thats very sad.