(a)  The driver of any vehicle knowingly involved in an accident resulting in death or injury to a domesticated animal, shall immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close to it as possible, but shall immediately return to and in every event shall remain at the scene of the accident until the driver shall render all possible assistance to the injured animal. The driver shall immediately, by the quickest means of communication known to the driver or which should have reasonably been known to be available to the driver to be available in the locality, give notice of the accident to the owner of the animal if known to the driver or to a nearby office of local or state police. In the event the office so notified does not have jurisdiction of the locale of the accident, it shall be the duty of the officer receiving the notice to give notice immediately of the accident to the office having jurisdiction.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 31-26-3.1

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6

(b)  Any person failing to stop or comply with the requirements of this section shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00).

History of Section.
G.L. 1956, § 31-26-3; P.L. 1959, ch. 175, § 1.