Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers represents those who have been injured in an animal accident, helping them recover financial compensation for medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain, suffering, wrongful death and more.
It is estimated that one to two million vehicle accidents involving large animals happen each year in the United States, leading to about 200 deaths and 26,000 injuries per year. If you or a loved one has been injured in an animal crash such as a cow accident, you may be unable to work and unable to pay your medical bills since you can’t work. This is where we can help.
We represent animal accident victims on a contingency fee basis, meaning we don’t charge any fees until and unless we recover compensation for the client. The only fee we charge is a percentage of any compensation recovered from an insurance company or any other source. We don’t charge upfront or out-of-pocket fees to handle cases involving motor vehicles and animals such as farm animals.
If you have injuries, even serious injuries, that you can’t afford to have treated, we can get you to doctors who will treat you on a lien. What this means is that you will not be charged for your animal crash injuries to be treated until your case is over. We help arrange lien-based medical treatment whenever possible so our clients can focus on their recovery while we handle the claims process.
We have been representing victims of animal collisions such as livestock accidents since 1990 and have recovered over $750,000,000 for our clients. We have vast experience in handling cases just like yours and this means we can recover the most money possible for you.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one was injured or killed in an animal accident. You can also fill out this page’s free case evaluation form or, if you so choose, text us from this page.
Compensation Available After an Animal Accident
If you or a loved one has been injured in an animal accident, you may qualify for financial compensation for:
Medical Bills
You might already be facing medical bills after your animal crash, and you might face more bills in the future if you need future treatments. We can help you recover compensation for all past and future medical expenses related to your crash involving an animal.
Lost Wages
Those injured in accidents involving animals may be left unable to work for a period of time, or having to take time off from work to get their injuries treated. We can help you recover compensation for any wages you’re unable to earn due to your crash which involved an animal.
Loss of Earning Capacity
If you were left disabled by an accident involving an animal, this disability may represent a loss or reduction of your earning capacity which we can make sure you are financially compensated for.
Pain and Suffering
Accidents involving animals, like all vehicle accidents, can lead to tremendous physical pain and mental suffering. We have spent decades accurately calculating our clients’ pain and suffering and making sure they’re fairly and justly compensated for it.
Wrongful Death
If you lost a loved one to an accident involving an animal, while we cannot bring your loved one back, we can file a wrongful death claim on your behalf which can help make sure that you and your family don’t have to go through financial hardship due to the loss of your loved one.
Animal Accident Liability
When animals dart into streets, or when motorists round corners and find animals standing in roads, the natural instinct for the driver is to attempt to avoid hitting the animal. This particularly applies to large animals like horses, cows or deer. Striking animals like these can lead to totaled vehicles and severe injuries. Unfortunately, when you serve to avoid striking an animal, people inside other vehicles can get injured.
Determining who is financially liable for a crash like this depends on what kind of animal was involved. The law considers accidents involving wild animals differently than it considers accidents which involve domestic animals.
When domestic animals enter roads and drivers hit them or swerve to avoid an accident and strike other vehicles, animal owners may end up being liable for accidents. Domestic animal owners have a responsibility to make sure animals stay out of roads where they can present a hazard. This is true regarding pets like cats and dogs or farm animals like pigs, cows or horses. The liability of owners can be limited in some cases.
In collisions which involve wild animals on roads, drivers who swerve to avoid animals and hit other vehicles may end up being liable. No owner exists who can be held liable when animals like deer, raccoons or squirrels run into roads and cause accidents.
What to Do if You Hit an Animal on the Road
If you strike an animal on the road, you should:
- Get to safety. Turn your hazard lights on so you can be seen by other drivers.
- Call 911. The police will perform a scene investigation and write up an accident report. This report can be helpful later on should you seek compensation. You have a requirement to call the police or find the owner if you injure a domestic animal.
- Take precautions should you decide to check on the condition of the animal. If the animal has been hurt and is not dead, it may retaliate should you come too close to it.
- Obtain medical treatment in the event you or somebody else gets hurt. The medical records you create will be vital for any personal injury claim you file in the future. Promptly obtaining medical treatment is vital to protecting your legal right to financial compensation. If you wait too long to get your injuries documented by a medical professional, insurance companies can claim something else caused your injuries.
- Report the accident to the DMV if an injury or death occurred, or if $1,000 or more in property damage occurred.
- Call a lawyer if you’ve been injured. Studies show that those who hire lawyers recover more money for their injuries than those who don’t even after attorney’s fees are factored in.
Who Pays If You Hit a Cow on The Road?
This partially depends upon if the location of the accident is subject to open range laws or closed range laws.
Section 16902 of the California Food and Agricultural Code states that those who own or control livestock shall not negligently or willfully permit livestock to enter public highways if each side of the highway is adjoined by property separated from said highway by a building, lawn, curb, sidewalk, hedge, wall or fence.
Section 16904 states that when people injured in animal accidents sue livestock owners, it is not automatically assumed that the livestock owner was negligent just because an animal was found on the road. This means it must be proven that the animal was on the road because its owner did something or failed to prevent it from getting on the road. This generally involves demonstrating that improper or inadequate fencing, barn structures, gates, etc. existed, allowing the animal onto the road.
These sections address open range laws as well as livestock fencing. Open range laws typically refer to areas where owners of livestock are not required to utilize fencing to contain animals. These areas are usually very rural and very often include federal land where owners of livestock might have purchased rights for grazing.
In areas subject to closed range laws, the rule found in Section 16902 will often be the path towards holding an animal owner liable. These cases will generally involve proving that an animal owner was negligent by not adequately fencing in their animal.
The rule found in Section 16902 does not apply to areas subject to open range laws. This means that when you strike an animal in one of these areas, you can’t argue that it occurred because an owner negligently allowed the animal to escape from an inadequately fenced area.
This does not, however, mean that an animal owner can’t be held liable in an area with open range laws. California courts have held in the past that while livestock owners don’t have an obligation to fence in animals, fencing is not the only form of animal control which is relevant, and that, in some circumstances, animal owners can still be found to have failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent accidents when their animals are struck on roads.
In addition, the circumstances can vary from state to state. To make things even more complex, some states have local stock laws which can hold animal owners liable for inadequate fencing in areas with open range laws. In some states, it’s also negligent for animal owners to allow their animals onto state and federal highways, even in areas subject to open range laws.
If you’re unsure of who may be liable in your animal accident, call us today for a free consultation. We have thorough knowledge of all relevant laws in California and every other state in the nation, so we can tell you if it may be possible to hold an animal owner liable for your accident.
Can I File an Insurance Claim If I Hit an Animal Crossing the Road?
You may be able to file an insurance claim with your own insurance, such as personal injury protection, or with the animal owner’s insurance, if you hit an animal crossing the road. Regarding your own insurance, you will have to review your policy or talk to an agent in order to figure out if you’re able to file a claim for a livestock accident. Comprehensive coverage sometimes offers coverage for accidents involving the animal population. However, if you have basic collision insurance, this might only cover accidents involving other vehicles.
You may be able to file a claim with the animal owner’s insurance in certain cases. For example, in many areas, ranchers and farmers are obligated to make sure their animals are kept fenced in. Should they be found to have negligently allowed their animal on the road and you got injured after striking the animal, you may have valid grounds to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit.
In addition, if another driver swerved to avoid hitting an animal and struck you, you may have a claim with that driver’s insurance company.
If you strike a wild animal such as a deer, there is nobody for you to sue. Any compensation you recover would be from your own insurance company, up to policy limits.
If you have been injured in an animal accident, call us today for a free consultation. We can handle every step of the claims process for you so all you have to do is focus on your recovery.
What Animals Do You Have to Report If You Hit Them?
Domestic animals such as cats and dogs, as well as some farm animals, are considered to be property by the State of California. Drivers who strike and injure domestic animals are required to attempt to locate as well as notify either the owner of the animal or law enforcement.
If you strike a cat or dog, the best thing to do is call 911 and tell them and they will take care of the proper notification, or end up calling animal control. Or, you can directly report the accident to your local animal control.
You are not required or advised by the law to touch a struck animal, put it in your car or take the animal to a vet.
How an Animal Accident Lawyer Can Help
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an animal accident, a lawyer at our firm can help you by helping you recover financial compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain, suffering, wrongful death and more.
In addition, we can handle every step of the insurance claim or legal process for you so all you need to do is focus on family and recovery.
Call us today for a free consultation. Remember: we don’t charge any fee until and unless we obtain a recovery.
