Anderson County SC family sues dog for drunk driver

A family from Anderson County, South Carolina, filed a lawsuit after their beloved dog, Susie, was killed by an alleged drunk driver in front of her three children, according to court documents.

Christina Grant is processing Neil Joost, in Pendleton, South Carolina, who was arrested and charged with drunk driving after the December 2020 incident.

On December 27, 2020, Joost “decided to drive drunk and recklessly on Rogers Road”, a residential street in Anderson County, according to the lawsuit.

Grant’s three young children saw Joost driving a black sports car “racing down the road towards their home,” the lawsuit said.

Joost’s car swerved toward the garage and ran over the dog Susie, according to the lawsuit.

“Susie was caught under the steering wheel of the car, dragged for several hundred meters and mutilated before being left on the side of the road,” said the suit. “The Grant family was very close and witnessed all of these events.”

Unfortunately, Susie died in the incident. She left behind several newborn puppies.

According to the lawsuit, the family suffered significant emotional trauma from Susie’s death.

Attorney Brad Lanford, who represents the family, said he hoped this case would change the way pets are assessed in the South Carolina court.

“Unfortunately, in the state of South Carolina, damage from injury to a pet is limited to the cost of the pet, just like a television or other piece of property,” said Lanford. “We hope this case will help appeals courts recognize that valuable pets are worth much more than just their fair market value, which for a pet can be very small.”

It is unclear in South Carolina whether or not the state recognizes the liability of passersby for pets, according to Lanford. The action aims to clarify the law.

“Pets are not simply property; they are valued members of our families, and it is past time for the South Carolina law to recognize them as such, ”the Law Firm press release Kenneth Berger said.

Joost requested a jury trial in his criminal case.

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