Dog ran into me and I broke my ankle - now what?

bellrooster

Well the dog owner is liable insured or not.

sulphate

Practically speaking though, what happens if they cannot afford to pay out compensation, particularly if costs run up to the amounts similar to what you quoted? What kind of money would the OP be expecting/entitled to if the dog owner isn't insured?

bellrooster

sulphate wrote: »

Practically speaking though, what happens if they cannot afford to pay out compensation, particularly if costs run up to the amounts similar to what you quoted? What kind of money would the OP be expecting/entitled to if the dog owner isn't insured?

I really don't know what the procedure would be if they didn't have insurance.


I also think the amounts quoted from Pet plan seem very excessive.


However, I also do not think that the person injured by the dog should suffer financially from loss of earnings, cost of prescriptions, hospital visits etc and because the dog owner was responsible for his dog, I do think that he should be held accountable for these expenses.

gettingready

I think purchasing insurance should be COMPULSORY for all dog owners.

Forget "dog license" - compulsory insurance would definitely be a good deterrent for irresponsible people to have dogs.

gettingready

bellrooster wrote: »

I also think the amounts quoted from Pet plan seem very excessive.

Just looked at Argos Policy (my dog is insured with Argos Platinum) and it seems to be only £500 for "accidental damage" but 2 mln for third party liability

https://www.argospetinsurance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Privacy-Policy.pdf

sheramber

sulphate wrote: »

Practically speaking though, what happens if they cannot afford to pay out compensation, particularly if costs run up to the amounts similar to what you quoted? What kind of money would the OP be expecting/entitled to if the dog owner isn't insured?

If no agreement was reached It would be up to the court to decide how much compensation was due

If necessary any possessions the dog owner had could be seized and sold to raise the money.- a house, a car.

The court could order the money to be paid at a set amount each month.

Most house contents insurance include thrid party liability.

Dog's Trust include third oarty cover for your dogs with their membership fee £25 OR £12.50 if over 60 years old.

chucknorris

gettingready wrote: »

I think purchasing insurance should be COMPULSORY for all dog owners.

Forget "dog license" - compulsory insurance would definitely be a good deterrent for irresponsible people to have dogs.

Third party liability insurance yes, but not medical insurance! I do not believe in insurance, and I never take it out unless it is compulsory or really necessary (e.g. motor insurance). I nearly always self insure, including my house, I do have 3rd party liability insurance for my dog via being a member of the Dog's Trust which provides free £1m cover per claim.

orlao

I think that people are forgetting that legally, a dog is treated exactly the same as a car...the owner is liable for any damage they cause ie if you drive into another car you have to pay for any damage to the vehicle PLUS any medical costs for the other driver (the NHS should and does claim those costs from your insurance company)

Just because many people don't have their pet insured doesn't mean that they can absolve themselves of their legal responsibility - the fact remains that you can be sued but really, you should IMHO be prepared to make good any loss anybody suffers because of your animal without having to actually be sued...

With the right to own an animal, take it out and about, let if off lead etc comes the responsibility to accept that sometimes things go wrong probably unintentionally and that nobody should be out of pocket because of your actions or lack of them.

I've never had a PL claim against me for a dog but I have twice for a horse - once when he sat on a car bonnet and dented it and another when he damaged a wall by bouncing off it. Both times I sought out the owners and gave them my details along with the insurance companies - why wouldn't I?

heartbreak_star

Incidentally, any claim might be muddied by the fact that the OP's dog was also off the leash and could have also caused "carnage".

HBS x

Andyclockwise

heartbreak_star wrote: »

Incidentally, any claim might be muddied by the fact that the OP's dog was also off the leash and could have also caused "carnage".

HBS x

To quote the legal definition for out of control from the horses mouth ( or https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/overview)


"It’s against the law to let a dog be dangerously out of control anywhere, eg:

• in a public place
• in a private place (eg a neighbour’s house or garden)
• in the owner’s home

The law applies to all dogs.


Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it:

• injures someone
• makes someone worried that it might injure them"

As the OPs (our) dog did neither of the above the fact that it was off lead does not mean it was dangerously out of control and it would have no bearing on this matter.