Liability for Dog That Caused an Accident

[nite_riderusa]

Hi, I have a question for you guys. The state is Washington.

I was in a motorcycle accident when a dog ran out from the ditch and I hit it on a paved county road. The owner (female) of the dog admitted it was hers. Now when I try to get compensation for the hospital bills and the damage to my bike the Husband of the woman who admitted it was their dog is telling the insurance company that it was just a stray that they were feeding. They had been feeding it for some time and as this was in the country very rural, the claim that it was not really there dog is suspicious at best.

Since they have admitted to the insurance company that they were feeding this dog and had bought a dog run for it, does that legally make them responsible for the dog on the county road.

At the accident scene the woman had told me it was her dog. And the dog was laying in the road in front of their residence. There is only one close neighbor and he says it was not his dog which I already knew that to be true. They have now put a duck in the dog pen to make it look as if it wasn't their dog.

So my question is, "Since they admitted to being the ones feeding the dog, does that make them legally responsible for the dog".

[BOR]

So my question is, "Since they admitted to being the ones feeding the dog, does that make them legally responsible for the dog".

Probably not, BUT, that would take some case law research at the law library.

Feeding a stray does not necessarily mean they are the "keeper or harborer" and have "care, custody and control"?

[nite_riderusa]

Even though they had bought a caged dog run for it? The run is about 14 feet long by 6 feet wide and the fence is 6 feet high. The dog was a medium sized dog. Doesn't that show ownership? And they have admitted to feeding it over a period of time?

[BOR]

Even though they had bought a caged dog run for it? The run is about 14 feet long by 6 feet wide and the fence is 6 feet high. The dog was a medium sized dog. Doesn't that show ownership?

Without reading any case law on it, that fact would greatly tend to favor you, yes.