Dogs are incredible animals, and many times, people want to take them everywhere, but we need to be careful – leaving our pets in a car can be deadly. Thankfully, some states in the U.S. have laws that allow citizens to take actions in the best interest of the dog, and if they have to, breaking a car window won’t have them liable for the damages.
Heat Kills
Parked cars can become extremely warm in just a few minutes after being parked on hot days. This means that any human, or animal, inside can suffer from heat stroke in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, it is a sad reality that sometimes people stumble across the street or in parking lots.
Good Samaritan Laws
Thankfully, there are states with “good samaritan” laws that can prevent any liability for damage in rescue efforts, both for animals and children in distress. If you live in any of the following states, then you can potentially save a life in a hot car without having to worry about facing legal action.
States With These Laws
States like Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Vermont, and Wisconsin all have laws where people passing by can rescue an animal locked in a car. Some states have this law, but it only applies to law enforcement and not citizens.
Conditions Have To Be Met
The law still has some conditions that have to be met in order to ensure the destruction of property is justified. The citizen intervening must make sure the only way to get into the vehicle is through destruction (smashing the window), and must not use more force than necessary. That must also call 911 and stay with the animal until authorities arrive.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a spin on the law. Before intervening, a person must try to find the vehicle owner and contact the police. Once these conditions are met, if they cannot find the owner of the vehicle, they may act within reason to get the animal out of the dangerous situation.
Ohio
Ohio will grant immunity to any damage the vehicle incurred if the rescuer have made a good faith effort to call police and left a notice on the vehicle. This balances the need for responsible action taking and saving the life of the animal.
Tennessee
Tennessee is similar to Massachusetts and requires a good samaritan to search for the owner within reason and call 911 before making efforts to rescue the animal in danger. This ensures responsible intervention but can be frustrating when time is important.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin requires a good samaritan to contact the police and explain the situation. Normally, they will be given the go-ahead to break into the vehicle if it is locked in order to save the animal. This helps to minimize the time between finding the animal and being able to rescue them.
Other States
Thirty-one states have “hot car” laws, but only the 14 listed have ones that give citizens immunity if they follow the correct procedure. In the other 17 states, only first responders and police officers are granted immunity when breaking into a vehicle in order to save a life.
Pending Legislation
Thankfully, many other states are looking at their legislation and hope to improve hot car laws surrounding animals. Pennsylvania and Michigan have pending legislation to strengthen these “good samaritan” acts. This reflects a growing awareness of animals left in hazardous situations.
Awareness
The public needs to be aware of just how quickly a dangerous situation can develop inside of a sealed off vehicle in the heat. Temperatures can quickly rise, despite owners thinking a ten or fifteen minute visit to the store isn’t long enough to create a deadly situation.
What You Should Do
If you ever find an animal in distress inside of a hot vehicle, make sure to double check your local state and its laws regarding animals in hot vehicles. Call 911 immediately, they can give you further information, and you may also need to look for the owner, which can be frustrating, but may grant you immunity.
Important Laws
These laws are important ones that can keep animals safe when deadly situations arise. The hope is that more states will start to adopt more extensive “good samaritan” laws regarding aiding an animal in distress so that incidents can be avoided and rescuers can be granted immunity from any damages.
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