Man’s best friend proves to be a bad driver

In the newspaper business, one of the older analogies for making sure a story is interesting was to say that "dog bites man" is not news, while "man bites dog" would make an interesting story.

Well, if that's the case, what does that make "dog hits man with car?"

Last month, a man in Pennsylvania was struck by a Dodge truck that had been left unattended by its owner. A dog had been left in the vehicle, which had been left running. The animal apparently knocked into the gear shift, which put it out of park and caused it to start rolling. After noticing the truck slowly drive toward a parked car, the victim attempted to stop the truck before it crashed into the vehicle. However, his attempts proved unsuccessful, leaving him pinched between the two vehicles.

Fortunately for all involved, the culprit did not have blood on his paws. Police at the scene said the man was found unconscious and left "dazed and confused" after the incident. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

While there is a certain amount of absurdity in the story, it does provide a unique example of legal situations when insurance companies attempt to find who is liable in such a unique situation. The Wall Street Journal law blog looked into this very question and asked Stuart Perry, a personal injury attorney at Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. in Manhattan, who was at fault in this type of case.

"If the owner gets out of their car, leaves the car running with no person in the car other than the dog, it would be possible for that person to be liable," said Perry said.

When looking for corporation liability protection, companies must be aware that not all disputes will be resolved in a simple manner. This is why it is so important for those in the Phoenix area to seek out small business legal advice.

Categorised in: Asset & Liability Protection

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