Dog strike to car - insurance or private repairs?

chucknorris

lisyloo wrote: »

Did you friend pay voluntarily?
Claim off their insurance?
Or something else?

I’d like to think a decent person with the means to pay would just pay out.

People who self insure for vet's bills, really need to take out third party liability insurance, which you can get via being a member of the Dog's Trust (and the money goes to a really good place, as far as most dog owners would think). If you don't have that cover the potential costs could be huge, I think the free cover with membership is still £1m.

uk1

lisyloo wrote: »

No win no fee companies or paid ones will only pursue claims with a likelihood of winning (and getting paid). With insurnpance companies that likelihood is often >50%.
An unknown householder probably doesn’t qualify.
If you are lucky enough to know something about the person e.g they have a job (and therefore the means to pay) that may make a difference.

People also sometimes have legal cover as an extension to a house contents or motor insurance policy - or even pay for it seperately. There are several options. I merely stated it as an option to be considsered by the OP who knows his/her own circumstances better than us/me.

silverwhistle

I once hit a healthy and very large male Alsatian which came out of the fast lane, in the dark, on the local motorway. When it showed in my lights it was too late to do anything so I just kept the steering straight and then steered into the side after the impact.


The dog expired on the scene and my lights and radiator had rather suffered too. No collar or chip on the dog, so the suspicion was that it came from some travellers in the area at the time, and a colleague had seen similar dogs on her morning commute.



Obviously I had to take the hit on my insurance too. That was an unlucky car as it also got pinched from my lock up garage and used in a post office robbery! Not as unlucky as the dog though..

lisyloo

uk1 wrote: »

People also sometimes have legal cover as an extension to a house contents or motor insurance policy - or even pay for it seperately. There are several options. I merely stated it as an option to be considsered by the OP who knows his/her own circumstances better than us/me.

A good suggestion.
BUT home insurance usually excludes accidents whilst driving a motor vehcicle so it’s probably excluded.
Their threshold is normally > 50% chance of winning even if you’ve paid for cover.

Might be worth trying the motor policy but they if it’s linked to the insurer they may refer to the insurer.

I have a separate one, maninly because it’s better value for money but FWIW I think there are benefits to having it separate (linked ones will just follow the insurers line).

But I agree if professional advice is available for free then use it.
I’ve used it a few times to find out where I stand.

lisyloo

silverwhistle wrote: »

so the suspicion was that it came from some travellers in the area at the time,

An example of people who wouldn’t pay and where local knowledge can affect the decision of whether to pursue.

owen_money

lisyloo wrote: »

Dogs are licensed animals and should be under control.

Dogs haven't been required to be licensed since 1987

Licences
You may need to get a licence from your local council for:

Some types of exotic wild animals
Domestic-wild hybrid animals
Running a business like a riding stables or pet shop

You don’t need a licence for most common domestic pets.

onwards&upwards

lisyloo wrote: »

Did you friend pay voluntarily?
Claim off their insurance?
Or something else?

I’d like to think a decent person with the means to pay would just pay out.

I’d like to think a decent person who had just hit a dog and killed it wouldn’t be so heartless as to go after the owners for money.

davidwatts

lisyloo wrote: »

I am surprised most people believe the dog owner automatically has insurance. Not everyone is a home owner or has insurance.

I think people were just suggesting, correctly, that it was more likely than not that the dog owner would have insurance. Overall, most households have contents insurance that would provide relevant 3rd party liability. (I remember reading something that said a substantial majority of homeowners have contents insurance though it does dip below 50% for certain types of tenant.) Also, these days it is increasingly common for there to be a degree of liability cover under Pet policies as well.

Not guaranteed, but certainly a strong possibility.

Quentin

onwards&upwards wrote: »

I’d like to think a decent person who had just hit a dog and killed it wouldn’t be so heartless as to go after the owners for money.

That's like saying if a driver causes a crash and dies in it you shouldn't pursue for compensation for your car damaged by the deceased

This is a money saving website. Suggesting that the OP is indecent is a poor show!

Of course the innocent OP should pursue the dead dogs owner for restitution

unforeseen

owen_money wrote: »

Dogs haven't been required to be licensed since 1987

.

Unless you live in Northern Ireland.

All dogs in the UK must be microchipped by the age of 8 weeks.