Expert: Bennie719 - 2/7/2008

Question
I was driving up to a house while delivering a pizza they had ordered. They had 2 Great Danes that I saw in the yard approaching my vehicle. It was dark and I was afraid they were going to get in front of my vehicle. I was barely moving in their driveway when I heard yelping noises. I got out and saw that another dog had come up from behind and apparently got under my rear tire somehow. The dog's back leg was injured and the people did not answer their door for quite a while. Finally a high school aged kid came to the door and I told him what had happened. My question is whether I am liable for injuries to their dog, even though I never saw it, or are they liable for not putting their animals out of the way knowing they had requested someone to deliver food to their house?

Answer
Hi John,
I agree with you that any responsible dog owner should control their animals when they are expecting a food deliver.
Most people are not aware that their standard personal insurance policy excludes any accident when the vehicle is being used in wholesale/retail delivery.
If you haven't already done so, you need to have your agent switch your coverage to a commercial policy.
If you already have a commercial insurance policy, you should immediately make a report to your company.
If you don't have a commercial policy, you need to immediately make a report of this incident to your employer and then just wait and see if the dog owner calls your employer to file a claim.
I hope this has been of help.
Your feedback by rating my answer will be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Bennie
San Francisco Bay Area