Let's talk about a situation when an animal gets under the wheels of a car — whether it's large or small, domestic or wild. Let's examine what this can mean for the driver and their vehicle. The consequences of such an incident for the vehicle range from a couple of scratches on the bumper to serious damage: a broken radiator grille, a deformed hood, a cracked windshield. Injuries to people inside the cabin are also possible. An encounter with a large animal — a cow, moose, or deer — can end badly for all parties involved. The driver's own reaction to what happened depends on their psychological resilience, moral principles, and life philosophy. Plus, don't forget that Ukrainian legislation — both the Criminal Code and the Code of Administrative Offenses — has articles concerning such situations.

If the animal is wild

A collision with a large wild animal usually leads to severe consequences: a wrecked car, possible injuries to people, and then a series of calls: ambulance, traffic police, emergency services, and a tow truck. Let's assume that no people were injured in this accident. In a collision with a small or medium-sized animal, the animal itself suffers first, while the car gets minor damage. The driver's further actions are a matter of their conscience and worldview. The logical course of action is as follows:
  • Stop and inspect the injured animal.
  • If it's dead — remove the carcass from the roadway.
  • If the animal is wounded — get it to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. It's important to remember: even a seemingly harmless creature can be dangerous due to pain and fear.
  • After providing help, it's better to hand the animal over to an animal protection organization or zoo, supporting them financially if possible.
Unfortunately, many drivers prefer to just drive by without stopping. If your comprehensive insurance policy includes such an insured event as "animal actions," then you need to act according to the instructions: call the insurance commissioner and the traffic police (the procedure is usually specified in the contract). Then the insurance company will cover the damage to the car. If you only have "auto liability insurance," then calling the traffic police and filing an accident report is a waste of time and nerves: you'll still have to repair the car at your own expense. But in any case, you need to remain Human.

When the animal has an owner: legal nuances

Here things are much more complicated. Under Ukrainian law, pets are considered private property, and hitting them entails legal consequences. Your actions should be as follows:
  • Stop and assess the animal's condition.
  • If it's dead — express condolences to the owner and offer whatever help you can.
  • If the animal is alive but injured — together with the owner, take it to the veterinarian, offering your help and financial participation.
The key point: an animal is property, provided the owner can prove it. And here, setting aside emotions, it's worth considering several scenarios. Option 1 A settlement agreement: the driver compensates the animal's owner for the damage, or the owner pays for the damaged car. For safety, the parties sign a receipt stating there are no mutual claims. This ends the incident. Option 2 The driver files a lawsuit against the animal's owner for compensation for damage to their property. It's important to remember: by law, walking dogs without a leash and muzzle is prohibited (except for special areas, which do not include the road). Therefore, if a dog ran under the wheels without a leash, it's the owner's fault, as they violated the rules for keeping animals. If we're talking about cattle, you need to refer to point 7 of the Traffic Rules: driving animals along the road is only allowed during the day, as close to the roadside as possible, without leaving them unattended and not grazing them near the road. Violation of these requirements that leads to an accident is a legitimate reason for a lawsuit. 1_3.jpg If the driver wants to recover the cost of repairs from the animal's owner, the algorithm is as follows: call the traffic police, file an accident report, file a lawsuit, and go through court proceedings. In turn, the animal's owner can file a counterclaim for compensation for moral and material damage, claiming that the animal escaped accidentally. Option 3 The animal's owner files a lawsuit against the driver for destruction or damage to their property. The lawsuit must include a veterinarian's report on the animal's condition and the nature of its injuries, clinic receipts confirming treatment costs. You can also demand compensation for the purchase of the animal, its upkeep, and training. However, for this, the owner must be absolutely sure that they themselves did not violate the rules of keeping and walking the animal. Which option to choose — let everyone decide according to their conscience.

Briefly about the main thing

Let's recall a simple truth: nothing is more precious than human life! If a dog, fox, or hedgehog suddenly appears on the road in front of the car, the driver has to make a difficult choice: risk their own life, the lives of passengers, and other road users, or sacrifice the animal. There are known tragic cases where drivers, trying to avoid a collision with a small animal, died themselves and took the lives of others. And one more piece of advice: don't blame yourself for what happened. If your conscience torments you, you can, for example, adopt a stray dog from a shelter. The main thing is to try to avoid hitting animals in the future. And people too... 2_3.jpg

How they do it in Switzerland

First of all, they try to find the animal's owner. If the accident happened in a rural area, it's logical to assume that the livestock escaped from a nearby farm. In the city, they look for the nearest veterinarian. If a wild animal is hit, you must notify the cantonal animal protection service and call the police. This must be done even if the animal fled the scene: the gamekeepers can either help it or put it out of its misery. If the wild animal is dead, it should be moved to the roadside. An interesting nuance: the carcass (without the skin) can be officially purchased at a price of 7 francs per kilogram. But helping yourself to the prey on your own is already poaching. If a bird is hit, you don't have to stop, but you should report the incident to the fire department. If you pick up an injured bird and bring it home, you need to contact the Ornithological Center.

Brief reference from legislation

Law of Ukraine on Property
Section 3 — Right of Private Property
Article 13. Objects of the right of private property. These include housing, apartments, personal belongings, dachas, garden houses, household items, productive and working livestock, land plots, plantings, means of production, products, vehicles, money, shares, and other property for consumer and production purposes. Criminal Code of Ukraine
Article 299. Cruel treatment of animals
Mocking vertebrate animals using cruel methods or out of hooligan motives, as well as setting animals against each other out of hooligan or selfish motives — a fine of up to fifty tax-free minimum incomes of citizens or arrest for up to six months. The same actions in the presence of a minor — a fine of up to two hundred tax-free minimum incomes of citizens or restriction of freedom for up to two years. Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses
Article 89. Cruel treatment of animals
Cruel treatment, torture, or other actions that led to the suffering, injury, or death of an animal — a fine of nine to twenty-one tax-free minimum incomes of citizens. Article 154. Violation of rules for keeping dogs and cats
Keeping dogs and cats in prohibited places, exceeding the established number, as well as walking without a leash and muzzle (except when there is a corresponding note in the registration certificate) or in an inappropriate place — a warning or a fine for citizens of one to three tax-free minimum incomes of citizens, for officials — three to five. The same actions that caused harm to people's health or their property, as well as a repeated violation within a year — a fine for citizens of three to five tax-free minimum incomes of citizens with confiscation of animals, for officials — four to seven.

Lawyer's opinion

Vitaliy Savchuk, lawyer at LLC "Rybin and Partners" If you approach the issue from a purely moral point of view, the right thing to do is to stop, check the dog's condition, and take it to the vet. From a legal standpoint, a dog, like any other animal, is property (Article 180 of the Civil Code of Ukraine). Therefore, injuries inflicted on an animal are material damage to its owner. A conscientious driver, if there is a way to identify the owner (for example, by a collar or if they are nearby), should contact them to compensate for the value of the animal or the damage caused. However, by law, such an obligation arises only if the driver is at fault (Article 1166 of the Civil Code). That is, the owner will have to prove that the car violated the Traffic Rules. The owner also has the right to file a lawsuit for compensation for moral damage, but here too, the driver's guilt must be proven. If the dog has no owner, the driver is only obliged to eliminate the danger to traffic — for example, remove the animal from the road. According to the Traffic Rules, a traffic accident is an event that occurred during vehicle movement, resulting in death or injury to people or material damage. If you follow the letter of the law and assume that damage was caused to the dog's owner, the driver is obliged to stop, mark the scene, and report it to the police. But in practice, traffic police officers are unlikely to respond to such a call. Therefore, the driver has to act according to their conscience. However, under Article 122-4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Ukraine, if a driver leaves the scene of an accident, they face a fine (255-306 UAH), community service, or administrative arrest from 10 to 15 days. A violation of traffic rules that results in hitting a dog can lead to a fine of 340-425 UAH or license suspension for up to a year (Article 124 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). But liability only arises if the violation actually occurred. Dear readers! Send us your topics for the "What if..." column. We'll be happy to discuss them with you.