Dog struck by car at 14th and S St, NW Sunday Morning – Looking for Witnesses

Archie

“Dear PoPville,

At about 8:30 this morning I was crossing 14th at S Street with my two dogs, when a woman driving a very large older model Buick made a right turn on red from S and struck me in the crosswalk. One of my dogs was caught under her tire and dragged down 14th about 30/50 feet. I waved, screamed and banged on the car for her to stop, as the dog was still leashed and I was running alongside with my other dog in tow. She finally stopped and at that point he was trapped under the tire of her car. I am yelling for her to back up to free him. Finally she backed up and miraculously my dog jumped up, pulled from his collar and ran back down S street.

In the commotion I decided to run after my dog. As I was running the other direction the woman in the car started to drive off. A man on 14th had the good sense to stop the car, and at that point the driver did wait at the corner.

There were at least three other witnesses; two women and one man. It turns out my dog ran back to my house a block away and was sitting on the stoop bleeding and shaking. As I turned around, the two women had followed me to help. I decided to put him in the car and head for the vet hospital.

Upon passing the corner all four witnesses and the driver were there; one gentleman flagged me over, and I was able to get the drivers contact info.

However I was anxious to get my dog to the hospital and left without getting any other information. I have made a police report, but after calling the driver’s insurance company I am now concerned that I might need witnesses to attest to the fact I was legally in the crosswalk.

If you were there this morning or otherwise witnessed what happened PLEASE get in touch – Jdf65dc(at)aol(dot)com.

My dog is at Friendship Animal Hospital now and while it appears for the moment his injuries are not life threatening, he has severe gashes on his legs, and internal bleeding that is possibly from a tear in his spleen. It is still unclear whether he might have other internal injuries. He will be hospitalized for at least two days and may require more surgery.

As you can imagine we are distraught, but thankful he is alive and getting good vet care. Upon leaving the hospital this morning, I was presented with an estimate for charges totaling almost $5,000. And that is just for today and tomorrow; not including potential surgery and follow up care. The hospital is requiring an immediate deposit of $3,000 to continue treatment. Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds and am currently scrambling to line up some sort of temporary loan or credit line to cover the charges.

So my best bet at this point is to have firm witness accounts documented in the police report so the driver’s insurance company might be compelled to cover the costs.”