(Warning: This article contains videos that may be disturbing to some viewers.)
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Burleson family’s pet dog Bear was injured after a FedEx driver delivered a package and then drove off, hitting the dog. Now, they want answers and an apology from the driver.
Jessica Burleson adopted Bear 14 years ago. Her parents now own him, but she still lives right next door.
Burleson claims the FedEx driver was fully aware he hit the dog on Saturday, after delivering a package to her door and driving away.
“When he was leaving, he didn’t bother to stop or look to see,” Burleson said. “I mean, he clearly [saw] Bear. He looked over in the video and turned back. And he just kept on going even after he hit him, he never stopped. And my aunt and uncle actually witnessed him flying up our driveway and almost hit their dog as well.”
The incident was also captured on video.
Burleson said after Bear was hit, the family searched for hours and couldn’t find him. Burleson’s dad finally found Bear under her home.
“I looked there a couple of times. My dad had passed him up a couple of times. He wasn’t crying, barking, whining or anything,” Burleson said. “And that’s where he was.”
Burleson added that her father had to remove part of the underpinning to retrieve the dog.
Burleson’s parents took Bear to the vet, and that’s when they found out the severity of his injuries.
“He didn’t have any broken bones, but there was a tumor that was inside of his belly that had ruptured when he got hit,” Burleson said. “And so basically, there’s nothing they can do. Either they could either bring him home or put him down. And my mom and dad decided to bring him home. They gave him some doggy pain pills. And they basically said that he wouldn’t last more than a couple of days.”
Since the incident, the Burleson family has been in contact with FedEx.
“They haven’t really talked about what they’re going to do with the driver or anything,” Burleson said. “They just kind of talked that they were willing to pay the vet bills.”
Burleson said it seemed like FedEx is trying to resolve the issue.
The company sent Nexstar’s WJHL the following statement regarding the incident:
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of their beloved pet involved in this incident. We take this matter very seriously and are working directly with those involved to determine the circumstances behind this event. Based on the outcome of our investigation, we will take the appropriate action.”
David Westrick, FedEx Media Relations
Burleson said her parents would also like an apology from the driver himself.
“And they would love to just know why he didn’t try to swerve around him or instead just try to stop. I mean, in the videos, you can clearly see that he didn’t try to stop or anything. He just kept going and never let up. He just kept going on down the driveway. … It didn’t seem like he had any remorse for what happened.”
Burleson said she hoped the driver would have at least checked to see if anyone was home to tell them what happened. She believes the driver should face consequences, either through termination or some form of reprimand.
“Definitely some kind of disciplinary action to where this won’t happen to somebody else’s animal or kid,” Burleson said. “If it would have been my 6-year-old or my 2-year-old playing out in the yard or the driveway or something, and just run them over and take off, I mean, that’s definitely not OK for anybody to have to go through. Animals, cats, dogs — any kind of animal — and just run them over and just take off is definitely not OK.”
