Wisconsin Code § 895.484

Civil liability exemption; entering a vehicle to render assistance
Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this section
(1) In this section:
(a) “Domestic animal” means a dog, cat, or other animal that
is domesticated and kept as a household pet, but does not include
a farm animal, as defined in s. 951.01 (3).
(b) “Vehicle” means a motor vehicle, or any other vehicle, that
is used to transport persons or cargo and that is enclosed.
(2) A person is immune from civil liability for property damage or injury that results from his or her forcible entry into a vehicle if all of the following are true:
(a) A person or a domestic animal was present in the vehicle
and the actor had a good faith belief that the person or domestic
animal was in imminent danger of suffering bodily harm unless
he or she exited or was removed from the vehicle.
(b) The actor determined that the vehicle was locked and that
forcible entry was necessary to enable the actor to enter the vehicle or to enable the person or domestic animal to be removed
from or to exit the vehicle.
(c) The actor dialed the telephone number “911” or otherwise
contacted law enforcement, emergency medical services, or animal control before he or she forcibly entered the vehicle.

(d) The actor remained with the person or domestic animal
until a law enforcement officer, emergency medical service
provider, animal control officer, or other emergency medical responder, as defined in s. 256.01 (4p), arrived at the scene.
(e) The actor used no more force than he or she reasonably believed necessary to enter the vehicle in order to remove the person
or domestic animal or to allow the person or domestic animal to
exit the vehicle.
(f) If the actor left the scene before the owner or operator of
the vehicle returned to the scene, the actor placed a notice on the
windshield of the vehicle that included his or her name, telephone
number, and mailing address, the reason he or she entered the vehicle, and the location, if known, of the person or domestic animal when the actor left the scene.

‹ Prev All Wisconsin sections Next ›


Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.