If I hit a wild boar, who pays?

Question

José Manuel Alburquerque · Accepted Answer

As a general rule, the driver pays and is only compensated for their own damage if their policy covers collisions with animals. There are two exceptions. The holder of the hunting estate is liable if the accident was the direct consequence of a collective big-game hunt held that same day or that ended twelve hours earlier. The owner of the road may also be liable if it did not repair the fence in time or did not put up the loose-animals warning sign on a stretch with many accidents of this kind. When someone else is liable The holder of the hunting rights or, if there is none, the owner of the land, if there was a collective big-game hunt that day or in the previous twelve hours and the accident was its direct consequence. You normally claim against them under civil law. Do so within a year of the accident, so as not to have to argue about the time limit. The owner of the road, which may be the State, the Generalitat de Catalunya (the Catalan government), a provincial council or a town council, if the fence was broken and was not repaired in time or if the warning sign was missing on a stretch with many collisions. You claim against it under the rules on public authority liability, within one year. On a toll motorway you can also claim against the motorway operator. In Barcelona, a court rejected a claim in 2024 because the stretch did not have a high enough accident rate under the criteria of the “Servei Català de Trànsit”, the Catalan traffic authority. What to do at the scene Call 112 and ask the police to draw up a report of the accident. Take photos of the animal, the damage, the fence and the signs. Ask or note down whether there was a driven hunt or other hunting in the area that day. Your own insurance Compulsory motor insurance does not cover the damage to your car or your injuries as the driver. For damage to the car you need a fully comprehensive policy or animal collision cover, which some extended third-party policies include. For your injuries, driver's personal accident cover. Your injured passengers do get paid by the compulsory insurance on your car.