House or pet insurance for third party claim?

[ThighMistress]

My dog caused someone to fall over in the park and they say they will sue. He did not jump up, knock into them or make contact in any way, he just bumbled past and they tripped dodging him. Should I contact home insurer or pet insurer (I am covered by both).

Check your pet insurance first. We have up to £250000 third party liability on ours.

i was concerned that the pet insurance premium would be even higher next year if we claim. It is very upsetting. Dog is a very good boy. If he had jumped up (which he doesn’t) it would be fair enough but it was just a case of getting in each other’s way.

Would they sue a park bench if they fell walking round it? They sound ridiculous.

They were elderly and didn’t put their hands out when they fell over. 99.9 0f people wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, so this was really bad luck.

Sounds like you need to keep you dog closer to you tbh otherwise it’s unclear how this could of possibly happened but your in the situation now

i would use the house insurance for the initial legal consultation and advice and I’d be doing this asap then wait to hear from the other person and follow the legal advice you are given

He was not far away at all, and at the time on his way back to me responding to whistle, so not rampaging round out of control cannoning into people.

i don't under how someone’s claiming they fell over him then? If he isn’t near them then did they just trip over and try and blame your dog?

If he was off lead then op is right that it is her "fault". Proving otherwise would be impossible. It'll be dog insurance op, but don't contact your insurance until you have been contacted by their solicitor.

Was there CCTV? Did you provide your details?

I blew whistle. He started coming back, but crossed her path. She stopped short and then stumbled. He did not touch her. So he was of course involved, but not like a dog charging into someone, bothering them or jumping up.

Unfortunately, the law is on her side.

Your dog is considered dangerously out of control if it:

injures someone
makes someone worried that it might injure them

www.gov.uk/control-dog-public

If she tries to claim for her injuries, then you'll need to go through your pet insurance - hopefully you have third party coverage in place?

What happened when she fell? Was she badly hurt?

I hope you're okay, it's a horrible accident for everyone involved.

I’m in a similar position, my pet insurers asked for my home insurance details anyway and they are 50/50 the claim between them.
They are denying liability and it looks like we may be going to court which is terrifying but I’m also pleasantly surprised they haven’t just rolled over and paid out at what is just an ugly grab for money.

She didn't trip over your dog. She fell after your dog ran to you. Your dog made no contact with her and don't cause her fall. She could have stumbled over a stone, a bit of wood, anything really.

You haven't done anything wrong.

Was she actually injured or just shocked? You have to prove loss to sue.

Sorry but I wouldn't be accepting responsibility here unless the dog was very close to her. Was he? If he was just in the same area and her actions caused a fall then its a shame but its one of those things.
What if it was a toddler running past or a bird in her path or something? You can't just sue people left right and centre. Can't believe this is a thing now, you can literally sue for anything.

How was she injured? Was an ambulance involved? Did she have to go to the hospital? Is she incapacitated? Did she miss work? Does she have any proof (witnesses) of the incident?

I still can’t understand how she fell if your dog was no where near her

if he cut across her path and made her jump that’s different but are you saying he was no where near here?

you’d still be liable as your dog was off lead whether it’s well behaved or not that would be deemed as not being in your control

If he didn’t make contact with her I would be telling her to bugger off.

@ThighMistress I would not be contacting anyone. There are people out there looking to make a claim. Do you know this person. If your dog didn't trip them up then they clumsily tripped. Wait until you are contacting by them until you do anything.