How to Investigate Animal Cruelty in NY State – A Manual of Procedures

§ 601. Leaving scene of injury to certain animals without reporting

Any person operating a motor vehicle which shall strike and injure any horse, dog, cat or animal classified as cattle shall stop and endeavor to locate the owner or custodian of such animal or a police, peace or judicial officer of the vicinity, and take any other reasonable and appropriate action so that the animal may have necessary attention, and shall also promptly report the matter to such owner, custodian or officer (or if no one of such has been located, then to a police officer of some other nearby community), exhibiting his or her license and insurance identification card for such vehicle, when such card is required pursuant to articles six and eight of this chapter, giving his or her name and residence, including street and street number, insurance carrier and insurance identification information and license number. In addition to the foregoing, any such person shall also: (i) (A) produce the proof of insurance coverage required pursuant to article forty-four-B of this chapter if such person is a TNC driver operating a TNC vehicle at the time of the incident who was (1) logged on to the TNC’s digital network but not engaged in a TNC prearranged trip or (2) was engaged in a TNC prearranged trip; and (B) disclose whether he or she, at the time such incident occurred, was (1) logged on to the TNC’s digital network but not engaged in a TNC prearranged trip or (2) was engaged in a TNC prearranged trip, or (ii) (A) produce the proof of insurance coverage required pursuant to article forty of the general business law if such person is a shared vehicle owner or shared vehicle driver operating a shared vehicle during a peer-to-peer car sharing period while the incident occurred; and (B) disclose whether he or she, at the time such incident occurred, was operating a shared vehicle during a peer-to-peer car sharing period. Violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars for a first offense and by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than one hundred fifty dollars for a second offense and each subsequent offense; provided, however where the animal that has been struck and injured is a guide dog, hearing dog or service dog, as such terms are defined in section forty-seven-b of the civil rights law which is actually engaged in aiding or guiding a person with a disability, a violation of this section shall be punishable by a fine of not less than fifty nor more than one hundred fifty dollars for a first offense and by a fine of not less than one hundred fifty dollars nor more than three hundred dollars for a second offense and each subsequent offense.

* N.B.: Effective June 20, 2022