A household on Lengthy Island says they’re being saddled with excessive veterinary payments after their canine was hit by a automotive. Nevertheless it wasn’t simply any automotive: It was a Nassau County police automotive.
Now the household needs the county to pay up, however the county govt says their payments are usually not the county’s downside.
John Graham stated he felt helpless as he watched his 80-pound boxer named Daisy fly down Hudson Avenue in Lengthy Seaside earlier in October. It occurred early within the morning, because the household’s kids had been going to college. Daisy was on the entrance porch ready to be put into the automotive, when she all of a sudden darted out into the road.
“It was just a huge screeching of the brakes right in front of me right in front my kids,” stated Graham. “I heard my kids scream right after the dog got hit, it was just, it was horrific.”
The household canine was struck by a Nassau County police division SUV. Graham raced Daisy, a 5-year-old emotional assist service canine for his 12-year-old daughter with particular wants, to the animal hosputal.
Practically two weeks afterward, the pup nonetheless was struggling to get up, stroll and even simply lay down due to all of the accidents suffered.
“Internal bleeding, bruised ribs, punctured lung, liquid in (her) chest cavity and dislocated shoulder,” stated Jessica Talavera, Graham’s ex-wife who has been watching Daisy 24 hours a day because the incident.
The canine is in ache, taking a number of drugs and requires assist all through the day. The medical payments for her care are already close to $13,000 — and the household believes Nassau County ought to foot the invoice.
“It was an accident, I don’t want anybody to lose their job, but as far as these medical bills — I don’t think we should have to pay them,” Graham stated. “This cop was speeding in a school zone, she was in a Nassau County cop car in uniform. She shouldn’t have hit the dog.”
The vet payments proceed to mount, and when the solid Daisy has been sporting can come off after two months, she nonetheless would possibly want an amputation if the leg is now not viable.
“Why was she speeding? Why didn’t she file a police report? What’s going on? Was she not supposed to be here, is that why?” requested Talavera.
The Nassau Police Division would not touch upon that, however advised NBC New York partly “the dog then jumped into the backseat of the caretaker’s vehicle, and it was believed at the time to have no injuries.” The division additionally stated that “a report has been filed with the department and it is in the early stages of the investigation.”
In an announcement, Nassau County Govt Bruce Blakeman stated that “As a dog lover, I feel sorry for the injured dog and family, but this is a good time to remind all dog owners to keep their dogs on a leash.”
Talavera wasn’t shopping for the chief’s feedback.
“It’s also a good time to remind police officers to stay in their jurisdiction. It’s a good time to remain police officers to not speed on a school zone street, and to file a police report especially when they are involved in an accident,” she stated.