Has anyone here unintentionally hit an animal or more with their vehicle? I live in Texas and it’s hard getting anywhere without a vehicle but because of this, animals are often put in danger. Whether they are wild or pets, they all risk getting injured or having their lives taken from them by four wheels.
I’ve unintentionally hit some small animals like squirrels and toads and had both a cat and a deer run scared into cars I’ve driven but the worst incident I had was when I hit a family’s dog. I was coming from Austin with a friend and was going through Killeen in doing so. Traffic in Killeen can be crazy fast and drivers can be very aggressive there so you are often pressed to go fast or you will get hounded by someone. I was going maybe 60 or more miles per hour on a road and the dog just came running out of nowhere. He was coming from my right and trying to cross the road. I exclaimed “Oh My God!” and slammed my brakes while hoping “Please Don’t Hit Him!” but because I had been going so fast, my car couldn’t slow down quick enough and it slid forward into the dog. The poor thing tumbled some feet away but got back up and limped away. My friend and I pulled into the parking lot of a nearby convenience store and followed the trail of blood on the sidewalk. Sadly, we saw the dog in the arms of his owners, a father and his daughter. As we came up to them, I started crying and tearfully told them I was sorry. The father said (I think) that he saw that I had tried to stop so he knew it was an accident and wasn’t angry with me. His daughter held onto the dog while he coughed up blood and tried to move. Both my friend and I petted the dog to give him some comfort. A lady also came up to assist by putting a blanket over the dog and we found out the dog’s name was Luka. Sadly, I saw the life in the dog’s eyes go out. I wasn’t charged for anything since the dog didn’t have a leash on and the family forgave me. Since then, if I see a dog on the road, I get flashbacks and do my best to avoid hitting it. My cousin’s dog also tried to run into a road where traffic is very high and I immediately grabbed him.
I’ve unintentionally hit some small animals like squirrels and toads and had both a cat and a deer run scared into cars I’ve driven but the worst incident I had was when I hit a family’s dog. I was coming from Austin with a friend and was going through Killeen in doing so. Traffic in Killeen can be crazy fast and drivers can be very aggressive there so you are often pressed to go fast or you will get hounded by someone. I was going maybe 60 or more miles per hour on a road and the dog just came running out of nowhere. He was coming from my right and trying to cross the road. I exclaimed “Oh My God!” and slammed my brakes while hoping “Please Don’t Hit Him!” but because I had been going so fast, my car couldn’t slow down quick enough and it slid forward into the dog. The poor thing tumbled some feet away but got back up and limped away. My friend and I pulled into the parking lot of a nearby convenience store and followed the trail of blood on the sidewalk. Sadly, we saw the dog in the arms of his owners, a father and his daughter. As we came up to them, I started crying and tearfully told them I was sorry. The father said (I think) that he saw that I had tried to stop so he knew it was an accident and wasn’t angry with me. His daughter held onto the dog while he coughed up blood and tried to move. Both my friend and I petted the dog to give him some comfort. A lady also came up to assist by putting a blanket over the dog and we found out the dog’s name was Luka. Sadly, I saw the life in the dog’s eyes go out. I wasn’t charged for anything since the dog didn’t have a leash on and the family forgave me. Since then, if I see a dog on the road, I get flashbacks and do my best to avoid hitting it. My cousin’s dog also tried to run into a road where traffic is very high and I immediately grabbed him.