Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[eleft36]

Glad you're ok, but really uncool for not stopping.  That's a crime 'round these parts.

Can you post that regulation? Seems that was a roaming dog, if not leashed.

[longlast]

Some yrs back went with a lady friend to see a friend. He had a long winding dirt drive, when my lady friend and I left I had just pulled away (still in first). Two dogs lunged out of no were One on ether side of us I looked back and down to my left just as a dog was about to bite my lady friends leg (lost site of the other one) So as one would, I just cracked the throttle. Then it all went wrong,...we pulled away from the dogs but I couldn't close down the throttle. When the first bend came up, I was leaned and the wheels road in the bite of a rockface and the drive. That's when I lost my lady friend off the back. When I finally got stopped be for the drive ended(thank the lord because it was a 90Left and a 90right with a rockface straight ahead of the drive) I found the adjustable link on the throttle cable had come undone and jammed the throttle open. My lady friend had scratches and braising.
That was the one and only time I've had a dog encouter. Never saw my lady friend again after that ether  

[05Train]

Can you post that regulation? Seems that was a roaming dog, if not leashed.

Dogs are considered property in Maryland.  Leaving the scene of an accident in which property damage occurred constitutes hit & run.  The fact that the dog wasn't leashed is immaterial from a legal standpoint, though it would be contributory negligence in a civil case.

Hitting a dog and leaving the scene of the accident is no different (legally) than hitting a car and leaving the scene.

[spydglide]

1st of all, I love dogs and can't tolerate someone abusing or neglecting them and would never intentionally hurt one.  But, when a animal (dog, deer, buzzard, whatever) is running onto the roadway at me (esp. in attack mode), I don't consider that to be property, but rather a intentional danger and I'm sure not going to stop (if I'm lucky enough to avoid falling) and deal with someone who didn't think enough of their animal/property to exercise control and safety of the dog.  It's one thing if a dog wanders out into a roadway and quite another if the animal is charging out to chase/intercept the vehicle.  spyder

[2k]

Dogs are considered property in Maryland.  Leaving the scene of an accident in which property damage occurred constitutes hit & run.  The fact that the dog wasn't leashed is immaterial from a legal standpoint, though it would be contributory negligence in a civil case.

Hitting a dog and leaving the scene of the accident is no different (legally) than hitting a car and leaving the scene.

Can't believe some of the comments......If my vehicle is in your yard and I hit your animal, its on me. If your animal is in the road, its on YOU. I wonder how many people have been killed/maimed trying to dodge an animal in the road. If you live near a busy roadway, you have 2 choices.....control him or bury him. Its your choice.

[dlaws01]

Willy, I've turned you in to the ASPCA.  They need your address so they can come pay you a visit. 

[05Train]

Can't believe some of the comments......If my vehicle is in your yard and I hit your animal, its on me. If your animal is in the road, its on YOU. I wonder how many people have been killed/maimed trying to dodge an animal in the road. If you live near a busy roadway, you have 2 choices.....control him or bury him. Its your choice.

The law says differently.

[2k]

Was the dog chasing(attacking) the scooter? Maryland State Law:

§ 11-505. When dog killing permitted

Any person may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing, attacking, wounding or killing any poultry or livestock, or attacking human beings whether or not such dog bears the proper license tag required by these provisions. There shall be no liability on such persons in damages or otherwise for such killing.

So endth the story

[guppytrash]

Did that dog have a headlight, tail light, plates and insurance then it was also against the law for it to be legally on the road.

And if a dog is considered property then I hope you morally feel obligated to pay property tax on it.

I am pretty sure if you dig a little deeper into your laws you may be surprised to find there is responsibility of ownership of pets and other animals.

I think you are no less responsible to keep your dog off the road then say a farmer is responsible to keep his cows off the road or your neighbor with the pet boa-constrictor is to keep that out of your kids play house.

I love pets too.  I just don't put any animal above human life.

[sawyerghost]

Getting back on track to the accident itself.
The group that we ride with have discussed this issue before.
When the lead rider encounters a charging dog, usually he/she is ahead of the path the dog will take.
It is the #2 rider that will encounter the dog.
So we have discussed the maneuver of alternating your speed to throw the dog off (time permitting of course.)
And also, if time permitting, the lead rider needs to point out the charging dog so the #2 rider can make his appropriate speed changes.

[D-N-D]

I just seen a dog with Dunlop stamped on its A$$ so you did not kill the dog !!!

[GregKhougaz]

This is a sad discussion.  MO does not have a leash law but pet owners are legally required to reasonably restrain their pets so they do not endanger others.  Willy could have been hurt or even killed.  Better the dog suffer than he.  The question raised here, however, appears to be what was Willy's responsibility after the accident / striking the dog?  I suppose you can argue about his moral responsibility but I think the answer is quite obvious and consistent with the law.  A dog is personal property under MO law. Thus, that question is resolved by the MO Hit-and-Run statute:

Leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident.

577.060. 1. A person commits the crime of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident when being the operator or driver of a vehicle on the highway or on any publicly or privately owned parking lot or parking facility generally open for use by the public and knowing that an injury has been caused to a person or damage has been caused to property, due to his culpability or to accident, he leaves the place of the injury, damage or accident without stopping and giving his name, residence, including city and street number, motor vehicle number and driver's license number, if any, to the injured party or to a police officer, or if no police officer is in the vicinity, then to the nearest police station or judicial officer.

[110tHunDer]

 
He knows he hit the dog, but does he know he injured the dog?

[GregKhougaz]

He knows he hit the dog, but does he know he injured the dog?

Answer:

...
I hit him in his left ass and flipped him to the ditch. I thought I was going to run straight over him.

I didn't stop because there were 50 other people who could help better than me. Plus I had slowed down to about 30 or 35 when I clipped him. I feel bad for the poor dog, I'm sure he's okay, but PEOPLE, keep your dogs on a leash!

I wouldn't want to try to argue that I didn't know I had injured an animal that I hit at over 30 miles an hour and knocked into a ditch;
especially if I had not stopped.   

[05Train]

Was the dog chasing(attacking) the scooter? Maryland State Law:

§ 11-505. When dog killing permitted

Any person may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing, attacking, wounding or killing any poultry or livestock, or attacking human beings whether or not such dog bears the proper license tag required by these provisions. There shall be no liability on such persons in damages or otherwise for such killing.

So endth the story

Clearly not the case here, but it's pointless to attempt to convince you otherwise.  A dog slipping the leash (or escaping out a door) doesn't meet the standard of "attacking".  The rider wasn't under attack; a horrible series of unfortunate events unfolded and the rider struck someone's dog.  Whether or not the law would excuse injuring or killing the dog is inconsequential to the fact that the rider left the scene of an accident in which he knew he'd struck someone's property.  Whether or not it was the rider's fault, the dog's fault, the dog owner's fault doesn't matter.  Leaving the scene of an accident is a hit & run.

As I said in my initial post, I'm glad the OP kept his bike up and was ok.  I'm sure he was shook up by what happened, because it could have been much, much worse for him.  But that doesn't change the fact that he should have stopped, and that under the laws here (as well as there, it appears) had someone gotten his tag number, the police would be paying him a visit.