[tijlover]

I'm just curious as to what most people do, if you're out late some night, a cat/dog/wild animal dashes across the road, you failed to see it, you hit it, you stop the car, you hear the painful wails of the animal, you look at the animal to assess if he's near death or slightly injured. The wailing of the animal just tears you apart and you feel totally helpless.

What what you do? Run over it one more time to put it out of its misery?
Call the police? Or what?

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by tijlover

I'm just curious as to what most people do, if you're out late some night, a cat/dog/wild animal dashes across the road, you failed to see it, you hit it, you stop the car, you hear the painful wails of the animal, you look at the animal to assess if he's near death or slightly injured. The wailing of the animal just tears you apart and you feel totally helpless.

What what you do? Run over it one more time to put it out of its misery?
Call the police? Or what?

Is this a sick joke?

[gizmo980]

If still alive, you scoop it up and get it to a vet or wildlife rescue asap! I've lost two cats on the road, and only wish somebody had done that for them (if it wasn't too late already). I also accidentally hit a little dog once, when I was driving through my old neighborhood... tiny fluffy thing, who ran out of his owner's home and STRAIGHT into my tire!! I was horrified, and immediately pulled over to check on him. The owners & I looked him over pretty good, and THANK GOD there didn't appear to be any injuries (aside from a minor scrape on his leg). I gave them my number in case vet assistance was needed, and they never called. So I assume the little guy was okay, which is awesome - not sure I could have lived with myself if I'd hurt him.

[gizmo980]

Another story... one time I was driving near my mother's old house (in a woodsy area), and came across a deer who'd recently been hit. The poor thing was bleeding on the side of the road, but still very much alive, so I called animal control for help. It was probably 2am, and they basically said "we'll get there if/when we can." A few minutes later a police officer drove by, and pulled over to see what happened. I told him I didn't hit the deer, but by this point it had actually crawled under my car - so I was stuck! The officer told me to stand by his car, and a few seconds later I heard a BANG as he shot the deer. Scared the beejeezus out of me, but he said he didn't want to warn me in case I protested... and clearly this deer was better off being killed, rather than making it suffer any longer. It was a sad situation, but I think the cop handled it the best way possible.

P.S. A few days later I went to have my car washed, and they asked why there was gunpowder all over the underside... was tempted to tell them some crazy story, like "I got caught in the middle of a gang fight." That wouldn't have been hard to believe, considering the neighborhood I lived in at the time.

[kahncss]

Originally Posted by tijlover

I'm just curious as to what most people do, if you're out late some night, a cat/dog/wild animal dashes across the road, you failed to see it, you hit it, you stop the car, you hear the painful wails of the animal, you look at the animal to assess if he's near death or slightly injured. The wailing of the animal just tears you apart and you feel totally helpless.

What what you do? Run over it one more time to put it out of its misery?
Call the police? Or what?

BBM - That's pretty sick! Unless you're a vet who can properly euthanize a dying animal, you call the police or an emergengy vet clinic. Usually the clinic can refer even a wild animal to proper rehab. Just because an animal is wailing, doesn't mean he's close to death. He could be wailing out in fear.

[tijlover]

I hit a deer, late one night, in a remote stretch of Utah. I was in a rental car, and it damaged the side of the car and popped out a headlight. I stopped, looked around, and through the faint moonlight, I could see the deer, or was it another deer?, trotting off into the distance. I had no cellphone with.

Situations like this, I'm never sure exactly what to do. This thread will be a learning experience for me, learn what others have done in similar situations.

[Alley01]

You call the police and wait for them to arrive with your local wildlife agency. If it is a dog or cat, you pick it up and take it to the nearest e-vet. Hopefully the animal is microchipped and the owner can be located. Regardless of the animal's fate, I think it is in good taste to post signs saying that a cat fitting a description was found. Then, if the owner comes forward, share the news.

I can't stress enough the importance of getting pets microchipped. We had neighbors watch our foster cats while out of town. One happened to escape and they tried to get him but it was dark and so they waited until the morning. A cat had been hit on the road and they were certain it was our cat and we belive that to be the horrible end. Fast forward a year and I suddenly get a call from a shelter saying they have found our cat and he has been hit by a car (this place was four hours away BTW) and I was in absolute shock. If I hadn't changed the contact information on his tag, he would probably have been put down. But, someone called animal control and because he was microchipped, we were reunited. Turns out he had Feline Vestibular Disorder and wasn't hit by a car...but we are grateful that the person who thought they hit him stopped and contacted Animal Control and made the effort to check for a microchip.

So, I think it is important if you hit a dog or cat, to think about the family that may have lost their loved one. Everyone needs closure so even if the animal doesn't make it, at least the family isn't left wondering.

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by Alley01

You call the police and wait for them to arrive with your local wildlife agency.

Meanwhile back on planet Earth.... NO wildlife agency is going to come out if you've just clipped Fido or Fluffy. Nor should they quite frankly, it's not their remit.

a) the "correct" answer to this all depends on where it happens - if you're in an urban or suburban area, fine. You can call law enforcement, you can get to a vet, you can do any number of things. If you're either traveling somewhere you're not familiar with (ie, a scenic area) or in a very rural area (where one is more likely to hit wildlife, just statistically speaking), you're faced with a whole different set of criteria.

b) as the OP stated, if you're on a back road in the arse end of nowhere, things are rather different. There's a huge and vast difference between hitting a deer, a raccoon, or even a wild hog - and clipping Fido on a street with a 35 mph speed limit. There's just no way what is practical, or indeed morally responsible, to do in one instance is the same in the other instance.

OP - deer are tricky and you're lucky you weren't injured. The statistics (easily available but it's too late and I can't be bothered) of the number of humans killed every year by a deer through the windscreen is quite phenomenal. With deer - if the deer moves off, the deer moves off and it probably will survive. If the deer is unable to move off &/or tries to get up and can't (deer necks are easily broken), is seriously visibly injured then the kindest, most human thing you can do is shoot it. If you don't happen to have a firearm about your person, call someone who does. If you're in an area with no phone reception... well, that's between you and your conscious but the fact of the matter remains that you are trying to put the animal out of its misery as quickly as possible.

So while the OP poses the question about running over an animal a second time and is lambasted for it... well, that's all very well and good for town-folk. However, in great swaths of emptiness, things aren't quite so clear cut. According to what's been written here, the animal should be left to suffer for... some indistinct period of time (assuming there is a way of contacting someone, which is a great big, fat assumption) because to aim a motor vehicle at some sort of injured/dying animal a second time is just a bit distasteful? Not in my book - if you haven't got a gun and the animal is seriously injured then you do what it takes to put the animal out of its misery.

[dreamhunter65]

I have hit a few deer and some came out of it badly injured not dead no gun and in Wisconsin unless deer season and legal hours do not shoot it as face a fine and maybe more. I have used tire iron hit on head and then sliced throat. Always walk up to a deer from behind as those hooves hurt and can kill.

Some may run off and drop with a couple hundred yards also just from adrenaline. If late let go til the morning and go look if animal did die and cool enough may save meat.

One year deer hunting we found one in a ditch that had 2 broken hind legs and infected so been there a few days still alive all grass eaten where it could get it and laying in water. Dispatched immediately, but this was one that ran off and not looked for to see if hurt bad or able to go on.

So far I have had 5 deer hits 2 ran off, 2 I dispatched and 1 was dead on impact. I have also dispatched one another hit in front of me that man said wait I called cops and it was laying there 2 broken hind legs trying to pull self off road. I as a hunter cannot let a animal suffer and want down ASAP.

My area and this time of year when bears being baited and ran get a few car/bear collisions. Never get out of car to look call police immediately and then they even must call DNR when they dispatch the animal.

[tiffela74]

omg...this crushes me. ;0( My sweet little boy got out on Easter weekend and some heartless soul hit him...and kept going. They knew they hit him, they knew he was hurt. And they kept going. I guess I should just be thankful they didnt turn around and run him over again. Thankfully, someone else that has a heart stopped and helped my baby. Called me so that we had the chance to take him to the vet and put him to sleep gently. While surrounded by family who loved him desperatly.
Please. If this isnt a sick joke, do NOT run over an animal that youve hit. Either get help, or be there and gently comfort as you can if the end is near.