What to Do If You Hit an Animal While Driving

A collision with an animal brings both emotional trauma and financial burden – the average crash costs over $4,000. Many drivers aren’t aware of their legal duties in these situations. You can’t just drive away after hitting a dog – that’s illegal. In US states like Georgia, you must inform law enforcement about hitting wild animals to avoid hit-and-run charges.

The liability picture changes based on whether you hit a wild or domestic animal. States like Georgia and South Carolina treat wild animal collisions as no-fault incidents. When it comes to pets or livestock running loose, their owner might be liable. Things get complex with modified comparative negligence laws that let multiple parties share the blame.

Let me walk you through the essential steps after hitting an animal – from safety measures to reporting requirements. These steps could protect you from hefty costs and legal troubles.

What to Do Immediately After Hitting an Animal

My first reaction was panic after hitting an animal while driving. A calm approach is vital to handle the situation safely. You must take specific steps to ensure everyone’s safety and manage what happens next.

Pull over and turn on hazard lights

After colliding with an animal, you should regain control of your vehicle before doing anything else. Don’t stop suddenly in traffic – guide your car to a safe spot off the road. Stop and turn on your hazard lights to let other drivers know you’re there. Put warning triangles or flares safely from your vehicle if you have them. This creates a buffer zone between you and passing traffic.

The natural instinct to swerve during a collision should be resisted. Swerving can make you lose control, hit oncoming traffic, or still collide with the animal. Some experts suggest stepping on the gas right before impact to lift your car’s front end slightly. This increases your chances of hitting the animal with your bumper instead of your windshield.

Check for injuries to yourself and passengers

After pulling over safely, check yourself and your passengers for injuries. Even small collisions can cause problems that you might not notice right away. Call emergency services immediately if anyone needs medical help. Look

Avoid approaching the animal directly

Keep your distance from the injured animal. A hurt animal, especially a large one like a deer, can act unpredictably and become aggressive. Getting too close puts you at risk of bites, kicks, scratches, or worse. Watch the animal from a safe distance if it’s still alive while waiting for help to arrive.

Stay in your vehicle until help comes or the animal moves away, especially if you’ve hit a large animal or predator like a bear or mountain lion. Tell the emergency services if the animal blocks the road and creates danger for other drivers.

Who to Call and When

My experience taught me that knowing who to call can make all the difference with legal requirements and insurance claims after hitting an animal.

Call the police if the animal is large or causes road obstruction

Large animals like deer or traffic-blocking situations need immediate police attention. You could face hit-and-run charges in many states if you don’t report these incidents. Police officers will check the scene, clear blockages, and write an official report to help with your insurance claim.

Local police should handle badly hurt deer, but they might not show up if the deer can still move. The law requires you to alert authorities when you hit pets like dogs, cats, or livestock in most states. Pets are personal property; you might face property damage or animal cruelty charges if you leave the scene.

Contact animal control or a vet for injured animals

Experience has taught me to avoid hurting wildlife – even wounded animals might attack when scared. The best way to handle this is to call animal control for wild animals or local vets for pets.

Park wardens should be your first call for wildlife accidents in national parks. They can help injured animals quickly and keep other wildlife away from the highway. Wildlife experts have special training and certification to give proper care and medicine. Look for ID tags or microchips while waiting for help, and try to reach the owner if you find any.

Notify your insurance company promptly

You should call your insurance company immediately after the accident, whatever the damage might be. Quick reporting helps you remember important details and gets your claim moving.

Your insurance company can often help with towing if you have comprehensive or collision coverage. Ensure you have all your paperwork ready when you file your claim, including the police report and scene photos. This documentation is a big deal as it means that your claim is more substantial, especially when you have comprehensive coverage, which usually covers animal collisions.

Legal and Insurance Considerations

Laws about hitting animals on the road change based on where you live and what type of animal you hit. You should know these differences to avoid fines and legal trouble. For situations involving injuries, complex liability, or severe financial loss, services like ConsumerShield can connect you with car accident lawyers who will help protect your rights by avoiding wrongful punishment or getting you the compensation you deserve.

What happens if you hit a deer and don’t report it?

Wildlife collision rules aren’t the same everywhere. Georgia only requires you to report if the deer blocks the road. You can leave if your car still runs and the deer isn’t in traffic’s way. New York has different rules – you must report any crash with damage over $1,000. West Virginia stands out with unique laws. You need to call 911 and ask for a non-game tag if you want to take the deer home. Skip this step, and you might end up in jail.

When pet or livestock owners may be liable

Animal owners often bear responsibility even though hitting their animals feels terrible. Farmers and ranchers must keep their livestock behind fences and off roads. California’s Food and Agriculture Code tells livestock owners to stop animals from wandering onto highways next to fenced property. You still need to prove the owner was careless – this means showing they didn’t properly contain their animals. Pet cases work differently. Most towns have leash laws that make owners responsible for pets running loose.

How to Document and Protect Your Claim

Good documentation after hitting an animal while driving protects you from financial losses. Your insurance claim becomes stronger when you collect evidence right after the collision.

Take photos of the scene and vehicle damage

Safety comes first. Once you’re safe, take detailed photos of the accident scene. You should capture images from multiple angles that show your vehicle damage, the surrounding area, and road conditions. Get wide shots of the whole scene along with close-ups of specific damage points like broken lights, dented bumpers, or cracked windshields.

Other motorists might stop to help. Ask them politely for their contact information and get their account of what happened. Their testimony could be valuable later if questions come up about how the collision occurred.

You should also photograph the animal if it’s safe. This helps verify what type of animal was involved and can affect your insurance coverage.

Look for tags, microchips, or earmark.

The animal might be someone’s pet. Look for identification tags on its collar. These usually have the owner’s name, address, phone number, and the pet’s name. Most veterinary clinics and animal shelters can scan lost pets for microchips.

Microchips are tiny transponders about the size of a rice grain. They contain unique identification numbers that link to databases with the owner’s contact information. Tags might fall off or become unreadable, but microchips provide permanent identification.

Keep records of medical or repair expenses.

The claim process requires you to track every expense related to the accident. Keep all receipts for towing services, rental cars, and vehicle repairs. Ask for and save repair estimates or invoices from your mechanic.

Medical expenses need complete records if injuries occur. Save all hospital bills, medication costs, therapy sessions, and receipts for medical devices needed during recovery. Document even small expenses like over-the-counter pain relievers.

Call your insurance company soon after the whole ordeal. Quick submission of all documentation will accelerate the claims process and help you get full compensation.

Conclusion

Hitting an animal while driving can be incredibly stressful and you need to think and act fast. This piece outlines steps to help you guide through these unfortunate incidents safely and within the law. Your safety comes first – pull over carefully, turn on hazard lights, and check for injuries before doing anything else.

You need to know your legal duties to avoid any serious trouble later. Rules change based on what you hit. Hitting pets like dogs means you must stop and report it, while wildlife collisions have different rules in each state. On top of that, telling authorities right away meets legal requirements and helps with insurance claims.

Many drivers don’t know this, but comprehensive insurance usually covers animal collisions. Call your insurance company right after the whole ordeal to tap into your full coverage. Good documentation with photos, witness statements, and expense records will give a much better chance of winning your claim.

Injured animals can be dangerous, whatever their size. Stay back and let the experts handle them. Call authorities with the proper training and gear to help hurt wildlife or pets.

Animal collisions come out of nowhere. Knowing what to do beforehand saves you from legal issues, extra costs, and more stress in an already tough situation. Being prepared is your best defense when wildlife shows up on the road.