Paying for vet bill

[Anonymous]

My neighbor ran a stop sign and hit my dog when she and my husband were crossing the street. She stopped and seemed to feel bad. My dog is (thankfully) ok, but the vet hospital to get her checked out cost almost $1000. My neighbor did not contact us the next day to see how the dog was doing or to offer to pay the vet bill. The day after that I put the bill in her mailbox, along with a note saying that the dog was going to be ok. It's now been another day and she still hasn't contacted us.

How assertive would you be in getting her to pay the bill? What would your next step be?

[Anonymous]

File a police report.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:File a police report.

OP here. I do not want to call the police. I don't see the reason to get her in criminal trouble.

[Anonymous]

When you say she "ran a stop sign", did she roll through it or hit your dog with force? Seems strange to have no injuries whatsoever.

$1000 also seems a bit ridiculous when there wasn't actually anything wrong with your dog. Did they do a full body MRI or something??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you say she "ran a stop sign", did she roll through it or hit your dog with force? Seems strange to have no injuries whatsoever.

$1000 also seems a bit ridiculous when there wasn't actually anything wrong with your dog. Did they do a full body MRI or something??

She says she stopped but didn't see them in the crosswalk. Either way, she hit the dog when they had the right of way. The dog sustained minor injuries, but nothing life threatening. The biggest expense was needing to sedate him for x rays and an ultrasound to check for bleeding. Plus, like for people, care in the ER is always expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:File a police report.

OP here. I do not want to call the police. I don't see the reason to get her in criminal trouble.

I don’t know what your other options are if she will not pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:File a police report.

OP here. I do not want to call the police. I don't see the reason to get her in criminal trouble.

I don’t know what your other options are if she will not pay.

The police handle criminal matters and whether she pays is a civil issue.

[Anonymous]

Her insurance will pay for it or she can pay out of pocket. You need to speak to her in person. Ding dong, ring the bell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:File a police report.

OP here. I do not want to call the police. I don't see the reason to get her in criminal trouble.

She's a driver who doesn't pay attention in residential areas, maybe she needs a wake up call

[Anonymous]

Why are you being so passive aggressive? If you want her to pay call or stop by in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say she "ran a stop sign", did she roll through it or hit your dog with force? Seems strange to have no injuries whatsoever.

$1000 also seems a bit ridiculous when there wasn't actually anything wrong with your dog. Did they do a full body MRI or something??

She says she stopped but didn't see them in the crosswalk. Either way, she hit the dog when they had the right of way. The dog sustained minor injuries, but nothing life threatening. The biggest expense was needing to sedate him for x rays and an ultrasound to check for bleeding. Plus, like for people, care in the ER is always expensive.

I'm trying to imagine this case on Judge Judy, and I'm not sure Judge Judy would think $1k is reasonable (including an ER visit) when the dog was not seriously injured. Especially if the driver did stop and genuinely didn't see the dog due to poor visibility or something.

But in any case, I'd give her a couple more days. She might be consulting a lawyer to find out her responsibilities, or checking whether insurance may cover it, etc.

[Anonymous]

If you want her to pay you are going to need a police report. She ran a stop sign and hit your dog. Now won’t pay the bill. Maybe go talk to her and ask her if there is a problem.

She should be happy it was a dog and not a stroller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:File a police report.

OP here. I do not want to call the police. I don't see the reason to get her in criminal trouble.

I don’t know what your other options are if she will not pay.

The police handle criminal matters and whether she pays is a civil issue.

Yes I understand. Did you hire an attorney? You can sue her in civil court.

You seem like a gem of a neighbor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you say she "ran a stop sign", did she roll through it or hit your dog with force? Seems strange to have no injuries whatsoever.

$1000 also seems a bit ridiculous when there wasn't actually anything wrong with your dog. Did they do a full body MRI or something??

She says she stopped but didn't see them in the crosswalk. Either way, she hit the dog when they had the right of way. The dog sustained minor injuries, but nothing life threatening. The biggest expense was needing to sedate him for x rays and an ultrasound to check for bleeding. Plus, like for people, care in the ER is always expensive.

I'm trying to imagine this case on Judge Judy, and I'm not sure Judge Judy would think $1k is reasonable (including an ER visit) when the dog was not seriously injured. Especially if the driver did stop and genuinely didn't see the dog due to poor visibility or something.

But in any case, I'd give her a couple more days. She might be consulting a lawyer to find out her responsibilities, or checking whether insurance may cover it, etc.

Judge Judy loves dogs. She would totally make her pay. Plus, poor visibility is not an excuse.

[Anonymous]

At the 7 day mark, drop off a note explaining you'll be filing in small claims court at the end of the 2nd week if you don't hear back from her.