Mostly Hypothetical...

[CJane]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MO

Ok, so I know "we don't do hypotheticals"... but this one amused me, and has me wondering...

I have a mastiff pup - he's a year old, around 130 lbs. So clearly not a small dog, and he's mostly head. Hard, massive head.

He got out of the yard the other day, when a fence post loosened as the ground thawed. (It's fixed now, so this won't happen again - no dog at large issue).

ANYWAY, he was coming back home in response to my daughter's calls, and as he ran across the road to her, he ran right into a car that was stopped at the stop sign in front of my house. Just plowed into it at full speed (yeah, he's not bright).

He didn't damage the car, though it would not have surprised me if he'd dented the door. So my question is, legally speaking... what would my liability likely have been? Would my homeowners insurance cover "damage to property" by my dog's head?

I know when I had horses, I had to have a rider on my homeowners that would cover it if they got out and caused damage - even if that damage was caused by a vehicle that hit them.

But what about if my dog hits a vehicle?

Yeah, I'm bored.

 

[ecmst12]

Yep, you would be liable and your insurance would most likely cover it - but you should ask them to make sure.

 

[Betty]

Agree. You would be responsible for any damage to the car in this case if your dog got out & ran into the car. Your homeowners ins. should pay for any damage but as the other responder also noted, you might want to check with your ins. co. to be sure.