What’s Your Legal Responsibility If You Run Over an Animal in KY?

Driving into work today, I passed what appeared to be a hawk that had been hit and killed on U.S. 231. It looked like a big one, too. It led me to recall a time when I passed Owensboro Community College a few years back and saw sheriffs circling a dead goose on the same highway. They'd even put out cones.

What to Do When You Hit an Animal

For those who don't know, geese and ducks, by the scores, hang out on the pond on OCC's property. And, periodically, they will walk across the road, and not very fast. That makes them susceptible to getting hit, although nearly every driver I've seen in the area slows down and gives them all the space and time they need.

Referring to that dead goose, I wondered about the legality of hitting something like that and then driving off, and if there were any legal ramifications for such actions.

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Your Legal Responsibility After Hitting an Animal

While I couldn't find anything specifically about geese, I came upon some information from Maze Law Offices about what you should do if you hit a horse or a cow. You should probably call your insurance agent (comprehensive coverage is what you'd need for this situation), but you need to find the owner or owners of said creatures; it's highly unlikely wild horses and wild cows are roaming about in this part of the country.

What If You Hit a Dog?

I've also spoken with Kentucky State Trooper Corey King about this subject, and we were speaking specifically about dogs. If you do hit a dog and drive off, you are not breaking the law, but we all hope that you would try to find the owner, if possible. It's a common courtesy issue more than anything else, although civil legal matters could present themselves.

Findlaw.com tells us that laws governing actions after hitting an animal vary from state to state.