the problem with the way the law is written is that it does not specifically state that a dog is "other property", as seen here. however, him returning to the scene of the crime does not absolve him of this other responsibilities as laid out in the law. if you accept that a dog is "other property" and that immeasurable damage has occurred, then he was guilty of a third degree crime and punishable by a fine of between $200 and $400, or be imprisoned for a period of not more than 30 days, or both, for the first offense. it's not hard to prove that a dog is worth more than $250, which is the only dollar amount used to gauge whether a person "should have known" about the accident and that ignorance cannot be used as a defense.

it's sticky, only in that "dog" is not spelled out in the law. everything else, as in the fact that a dog is worth $250, that he knowingly left the scene of an accident and that, although he returned, he did not abide by the letter of the statute in offering his information to the owner of the dog or a police officer, is in line and he should have been charged with a crime, to the very least as a 4th degree offense.

i'm kind of disappointed with our laws, in that they spell out some things but leave other things out, so that things like this are not addressed. i don't think anyone would argue that a dog is worth $250, and by that fact alone the owner's property was damaged, to an extent that it serves no purpose (the dog is dead). i would hope that someone look into this further and possibly offer up another reason why the law is written the way it is and perhaps correct the wording. a lot of our laws need to be revisited.

Dogs are worth more than most people....at least a dog won't try to F you over for a dollar. There's a reason they're called man's best friend.

just a dog

I manage a bunch of commercial drivers, I would have an "issue" with the driver of the box truck. IMO he should of been in control and been able to stop...espiecally if he saw your truck come to an unscheduled stop in the middle of the road. Anyway you did the right thing and tried help.
Some guys are just a**holes. If he worked for me he won't much longer.. usually that type of driver has "other" problems as well.
It's more than "just a dog" it was some ones pet.

that, of course, is the argument. if it was a raccoon, you wouldn't think twice about mashing the pedal after hitting it.

Agreed, I work for a Pet Supply Distribution Co. If tzar's has the company name of the truck I would make a call to his boss and let him know that he "intentional" hit the dog.
Moron's like this piss me off.

that sucks. poor pup

and your a douchebag....congratulations

no need for name-calling. we knew what he was the minute he typed those words and hit "Submit Reply"...

Thats sad, And atleast you stopped and helped I would be pissed if someone hit my dog and just left. The only positive thing out of this is that atleast it wasn't a kid that he hit. Maybe he will learn to slow down and pay better attention to the road now

doubtful. he's got the same mentality as the a**hat above. "just a dog" how pathetic.

wow man that really sucks, thats a horrible story, the truck driver didnt even give a crap.....kinda sounds like emmans road, thats a 35 but people usually do about 50 through it

dog on leash = no dead dog

don't hate b/c I sound harsh but I've been that guy who hit/killed a dog without being on a leash (the owner only steps away from the roadway)...and that thought still sits with me to this day

blame the dog owner first before the driver

you don't need to sound harsh to explain how you feel. saying it's "just a dog" is a phrase that you knew would enrage people, especially those who care for animals. i own a dog. i put up a six foot stockade fence because i felt the four foot chain link fence wasn't enough of a deterrent. even so, i watch him like a hawk when he's outside because i don't want to have to go through the heartache of having him get hit by a car.

to say "just a dog" to people who clearly care about animals is not just harsh, it's assholish. you knew the reaction you would get. that's why they call people trolls. you explained a lot more in your subsequent post - why not start things off like that so people don't think you're a troll?

+1 dont say some rude **** like that and not expect to get some comments back at you,like the rest of them said real d-bag comment

Nice edit. That first comment was not appreciated.

How do you know the dog didn't jump the fence?

As was already stated, there was a GARBAGE truck stopped in the road for NO APPARENT REASON. Even if there wasn't a dog in the road, the truck alone would generally make most people slow down so they don't hit the men working. Slowing down would then lead you to see the DOG in the road. the dog is not just a dog, thats somebody's puppy. As I stated in my first post, dogs will be dogs. Even the most well trained dogs get mischievous sometimes. No matter how old the dog is, its a lot like having a toddler around. What if it was someones kid who just happened to sneak out? Or a kid who ran out in the street to get a ball? Any residential area is 25-35 mph. Should be easy enough to stop, especially with the pre-warning of having a garbage truck stopped.

:violin: NOOOOOOO!

it really sucks that had to happen. The guy shouldve been paying attention and not speeding, but where were the owners? not watching the dog? no leash? is there a leash law in nj? or is the leash law more of a local ordinace thing?

if the dog is part of the family, perhaps they should have been paying more attention to it. i dont think they would let their kids run across the street.

I had a similar situation where i hit a yellow lab that was 1-2 yrs old. however, i wasnt speeding, and did everything i could short of going into a ditch to avoid him. he just darted out so fast. both wheels got him and he didnt suffer. there were 3 houses there, i went house to house until i found the owners, apologized, picked the dog up out of the road, and buried the dog for them. i felt bad for hitting it, but the dog was across the street with no supervision. the lady tried her best to get me in trouble for its death. my front bumper and some other things on the t/a got messed up. it was like 1300.00 worth of damage. (full coverage and 250 deductible ftw) the 9yr old kid held up pretty good until i started filling the hole in, then started crying. i knelt down beside him and put my arm around him. i told him i was really sorry, i tried everything i could to avoid him, and asked him to forgive me. dunno if they ever got another dog http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...iver/poop2.jpg ill give you a hint, thats not mud

Reading FTW. Who has their dog on a leash in their own backyard?

you went above and beyond with the burial. that was a nice thing to do. if she had known what the law was on the books, she might have given you more to deal with, but i am glad that it didn't go down like that. you sound like a decent guy who wasn't given any choice, not some shoulder-shrugging neanderthal that was speeding with a box truck. big, big difference there.

p.s. you did everything by the law, anyway. you contacted the owner and gave them your info, stayed around long enough to bury the animal. there really isn't anything more you could have done, and i think if it had gone to court, you would have come out unscathed.

thanks jim. god forbid that happened to any animals of mine, i would want that person to do the same thing for me.

When I had my westie we used to hook a real long leash to the clothes line and let her run around. We also had a full fenced in backyard. She got out a few times, but we did everything to keep her in the back yard, We ran chicken wire on the bottom of the fence, put a better lock on the gate.

The worst feeling in the world is having your Dog running around loose when you did not purposely let him/her.