Can I be held legally responsible for killing a dog that ran out in front of my car?

Can I be held legally responsible for killing a dog that ran out in front of my car?

I was driving on a rural road and a very small dog running at full speed ran out in front of my car and I hit it and killed it. I felt terrible about it. Turns out that the woman who owned the dog lived several houses down and across the road from where I hit the dog. She had been out calling it to come home and I believe that was why it was running so fast to cross the road. Her first comment to me was, “Well, that was $400 wasted!”. Today she called and demanded compensation for the dog. Am I responsible?

Asked on March 8, 2012 under Accident Law, Virginia

Answers:

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