In a time of need, your family is supposed to have your back – not hit the road at the first sign of trouble.

When one young man’s careless mistake injured his family’s beloved dog, the family was left with nothing but a hefty bill and unanswered questions.

Read on for the full story!

AITA for believing financial restitution is warranted immediately

Yesterday, we had a family gathering with our in-laws family.

Then came the accident.

Nephew in law (early 20s), son of my wife’s half brother, accidentally backed over one of my dogs and broke my 7 year old mutt’s femur, requiring surgery or amputation.

My father in-law phoned my wife, I’m assuming immediately after, and then she told me.

The owner runs out to tend to their pet and the perpetrator flees the scene.

I made it down the driveway, less than 500 yards, to where it had occurred.

My dog ran off into the woods back towards the house, whereas I had to go into the woods to carry him out.

Nephew-in-law was gone from the scene when I arrived.

This injury wasn’t a cheap one to fix.

Took my dog to 24 hour vet where ultimately I elected to save his leg at a cost of 7,300 bucks … well not to exceed that, but between $6k and $7.3k.

Even more hurtful, the family refuses to own up to it.

I have not received a call or text from nephew-in-law who did it or his father that knows about it.

The story I received from father-in-law and his brother, while I went into the woods, is that they saw it happen and tried to get his attention. It didn’t work.

The owner tries to piece together how it all happened.

I don’t know if my father-in-law said he’d take care of it and told him to scram… but what I do know is he knows he did it, as it’s been relayed to me from nephew-in-law to brother-in-law (nephew-in-law’s father), to father-in-law, to my wife, and then to me that they feel bad.

But they can’t help feeling betrayed by their own kin.

I’m at a loss. I don’t even feel that’s it’s me being mistreated, but my entire family – my wife, three kids, and me.

No accountability. Didn’t wait to help. I haven’t heard the words I’m sorry. Nothing.

I could never be like that to anyone ever, and they know that.

The nephew-in-law should know better than this.

He’s a grown man now and needs to face the situation. His dad and grandpa shouldn’t fix this.

Even if they told him to scram, he should have stayed for the dog and did what he could to help him. I just don’t get it.

AITA to bring up being made whole for the issue?

Hearing “I’m sorry” from his nephew-in-law wouldn’t have mended the broken bones, but it may have been the first step to mending trust.

The jury of Reddit will now hear the case.

If the family can’t get their payment from their nephew, maybe they could get it elsewhere.

Legal action is also on the table.

How someone reacts in a crisis tells you a lot about their character.

This commenter suggests maybe there’s a very small chance the nephew-in-law deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Actions speak louder than words, but in this case, the family didn’t even get words.

Accountability isn’t just about feeling bad – it’s about showing up and owning up.

If you liked that story, read this one about grandparents who set up a college fund for their grandkid because his parents won’t, but then his parents want to use the money to cover sibling’s medical expenses.