Individuals throughout Butler County are hurt by accidents involving motor vehicles. In most cases those instances involve a person behind the wheel of a car doing something that causes the vehicle to collide with either another vehicle or a pedestrian. Earlier this month a pedestrian was injured in a Pennsylvania car accident.

Rather than another person causing the vehicle to hit the pedestrian however, it was a dog that was behind the wheel. Authorities indicate that the dog was in a car that was left running. As the vehicle sat unattended, the dog managed to move the gear shift causing it to be put into drive.

An individual, who was trying to prevent the vehicle from hitting a truck that was parked nearby, was struck by the car and was stuck between the car and the truck. The man ultimately injured his head and was found on the ground unconscious. He was taken to a hospital following the incident.

When the actions of a person behind the wheel of a car result in injuries to another person, that driver may be on the receiving end of a personal injury lawsuit. While in this case no one would sue the dog, the owner of the car could be sued for negligence in leaving the vehicle running while he or she was not there. This would be appropriate since that negligent action led to the incident occurring. It is possible that as a result of filing a personal injury lawsuit the injured person could receive monetary damages for the injuries he suffered in the incident.

Source: CBS Pittsburgh, "Police: Dog Runs Over Pedestrian With Car," March 27, 2013