Can I smash a car window to save a dog trapped and dying in an overheating car?

[Patrick]

I'm sure many of us have seen or heard of this scenario. If we tried to save trapped animals in overheating cars on a summer day with all the windows rolled up, smashing the window to let some cooler air in, could we be arrested or charged by the police?

 

[Rhoda D'Ettore]

Honestly, who cares? If so, it would be a vandalism charge. How bad could that be? And I'm not being nasty here. If I saw a dog or kid in a car in the heat, I would have no problem breaking the glass. I might even throw the money at the owner and tell them to take better care of their supposedly loved animal. You wouldn't get jail time, our jails are so full even felons are getting probation.

 

[DancingLady]

I would call 911 first, tell them what you are seeing and say you want to break the window to save the dog. That way they have a record of what is going on and you have actually called in the emergency before damaging someones property. They would probably tell you to do it unless they had someone who could be there within moments.

 

[Patrick]

Honestly, who cares? If so, it would be a vandalism charge. How bad could that be? And I'm not being nasty here. If I saw a dog or kid in a car in the heat, I would have no problem breaking the glass. I might even throw the money at the owner and tell them to take better care of their supposedly loved animal. You wouldn't get jail time, our jails are so full even felons are getting probation.

I would like to get some confirmation on this, would it be a simple vandalism charge, or something more serious like breaking and entering? Most of the time people who leave their pets in cars are dicks anyway, what if they press charges even though it's clearly their fault?

 

[Profit5500]

I would call 911 first, tell them what you are seeing and say you want to break the window to save the dog. That way they have a record of what is going on and you have actually called in the emergency before damaging someones property. They would probably tell you to do it unless they had someone who could be there within moments.

That sounds like the more wise decision to make is to call 911 first so they would be aware of the situation first. If you do not call 911 first and you just go on and bash the window open then you'll be in deep trouble.

 

[januz101]

The best thing that you should do is to call 911 and report the incident first. Dont just randomly go and break stuff. If the situation really calls for a desperate action then you can do what you think is necessary. For added evidence you can also take a snapshot first before breaking the window if you are going to rescue a pet or a child. You need a solid evidence to back your claim that someone is guilty of endangerment of life and property. Just in case if the owner will file a case against you for vandalism.

 

[Popcorn365]

I would like to get some confirmation on this, would it be a simple vandalism charge, or something more serious like breaking and entering? Most of the time people who leave their pets in cars are dicks anyway, what if they press charges even though it's clearly their fault?

Legally they could sue you in a civil suit for damages caused from you breaking their windows. I don't really think their case would have much bearing however due to the nature of the incident. It would be along the lines of destruction of private property.

 

[js85]

I wouldn't. There are non-emergency numbers you can call and, at least around here, they're very quick to respond and help.

 

[bala]

Yes..You can..but provided you are able to explain why you resorted to doing this and that there were no viable alternatives that you could have done.That solves the case.

 

[Patrick]

I wouldn't. There are non-emergency numbers you can call and, at least around here, they're very quick to respond and help.

How quick would that be? I think heat stroke could set in extremely quickly, in a matter of minutes. The earlier that we can relieve some of the heat, the higher the chances of survival.