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A woman watched in horror as a postal worker ran over her dog in his van.
Tamsin James made the heartbreaking decision to put 15-year-old Daisy to sleep following the incident at her farm in Allanton this month.
The accident was witnessed by Tamsin’s seven-year-old daughter Enid.
Tamsin said: “As the postman went to leave, he began to reverse fast. My daughter looked round and as he swung his van round, we could see he was on a collision course with my dog, who was still laying in the same place.
“My daughter began screaming and I ran out screaming for him to stop, but it was too late.
“First he went over her paw, then as the vehicle swung round quickly, the wheel went over her whole body, it took some distance before he managed to come to a stop.
“This could have so easily been my daughter – the speed he was going and the lack of observation a person could easily have been killed.
“I managed to get a lift with one of my neighbours to the vet’s.
“We had to take my daughter with us, as my husband works away, so I had no one to care for her and calm her down.
“Sadly Daisy’s condition began to deteriorate and the next evening, as she was in distress, the vet asked me if I wanted them to take extreme measures to keep her going, or to let her go.
“She had been through enough pain and suffering by this point, so I made the decision to let her go.”
Tamsin immediately contacted the Royal Mail and has spoken to several members of staff as well as contacting her local MP Neil Gray about the problems she has been facing.
She provided evidence to the Wishaw Press that the Royal Mail has admitted liability and would pay the vet’s bill but as yet the money has not been forthcoming.
“When I finally managed to get hold of the Royal Mail, they reassured me they would pay the vet’s bill,” said Tamsin.
“I had a visit from one of the managers from the local sorting office in Wishaw who said they were conducting an investigation, which left me feeling hopeful something would be done to prevent this happening again to anyone else and that my complaint was being taken seriously.
“I’ve heard nothing about this investigation, except they accepted liability.
“I have no idea if the driver has been disciplined at all.
“I feel I’ve been kept in the dark and they are now being difficult by refusing to deliver any of my parcels. I have to make a 15 mile round trip to the sorting office between 7am and 9am with a seven-year-old child to pick up every parcel we receive.
“This is a burden I really don’t need at the moment.
“The vet’s bill is still outstanding, despite the fact that I provided all the details for it to be paid as they asked. This is particularly upsetting and stressful for me on top of the trauma of witnessing our dog being driven over has caused.
“I’ve never received an official apology from the sorting office or their employee.
“My daughter, Enid, has had nightmares since the incident and has woken up screaming on a number of occasions. She has been withdrawn and angry, which is very out of character for this normally bubbly, happy child.
“I’ve barely slept since the incident and having the extra worry about the vet’s bills and the way we’re being treated is not helping at all.”
A spokesperson for the Royal Mail apologised for the incident but insisted they have already paid the vet’s bill.
The spokesperson added: “Royal Mail deeply regrets this incident. Our postmen and postwomen are typically trained to drive to very high standards and pay special attention to pets on customers’ properties.
“Our investigation found that this was a tragic accident. Royal Mail has apologised to the customer for the pain and distress caused. We have already paid for the vets’ bills and we are currently discussing further compensation.”
