Driving home this afternoon, a grey squirrel ran out into the road.
I checked there was nothing behind me and I braked so the squirrel was safe, but, I did wonder what I would have done if there had been other vehicles behind me and I think I would still have braked because I couldn't bear to kill any animal.
What if doing that caused someone to go into the back of me, who would be to blame, and what would you have done?
I came across a cyclist who had run over a squirrel that seemed fatally injured - lying still in the road, bleeding from its ears. He asked me to run over it & finish it off quickly, So I did.
I thought that too Sparkly as they would have been driving too close, yes? Would hate to cause an accident though to save the life of a squirrel, even a grey one.
I would have braked - and if someone had gone into the back of me it would have been their fault for driving too close.
I’ve run two birds over - both flew out of trees straight under my wheels - the car behind me kindly finished the job for one poor soul that was flapping helplessly - and a cat scooted out right in front on me on a dark road one night and both sets of wheels went over it - thud …thud. It was horrible. I would never run an animal over if I could avoid it.
this happened to me recently i braked and the squirrel decided to dart back the way it came and nearly got hit by a lorry but thankfully it was ok and so was i and the lorry
This is the case of Gussman v Gratton-Storey - the driver was deemed liable when she performed an emergency stop because a pheasant was in the road and the car behind didn't have time to stop.
There are other cases with the same result, or it was split liability
Naomi you are a kindred soul.
If I'm in a car and someone else is driving and they see a dead animal or bird before i do, they always warn me not to look as it does makes me feel very queasy.
My husband saw someone e deliberately drive into a mother duck and her chicks as they crossed the road. If I told you what he said, with the AB filter you wouldn’t be able to read it.