Duncanville Family Demands Action After Delivery Driver Kills Dog

A Tuscaloosa County family of five is pleading for help after their beloved dog was fatally run over by a UPS driver last week.

Adam Ware, a roofer and metalworker who lives in Tuscaloosa County off of Bear Creek Road, said in 2017, he earned a hefty year-end bonus and immediately knew he wanted to spend it on buying his wife Lauren her dream pet, a French bulldog.

Shortly after, Chloe the Frenchie joined the Ware family, and for a little more than three years she lived with Adam, Lauren and their three young children.

"Most people look at dogs like they're just a pet or something but we looked at Chloe like she was one of our own kids," Ware said. "We loved her."

The family's world was shattered Friday when a UPS driver delivering a package to their home ran over Chloe as the dog sprinted along their private driveway.

Ware said his wife immediately grabbed Chloe and rushed her to a veterinarian, but she died on the way.

The Duncanville man said he and his family live on a gated property and he has asked UPS and other delivery drivers to avoiding coming up their private driveway after the family felt drivers were behaving dangerously around their children and pets.

Ware said he is upset that UPS did not listen to him and now feels the delivery service company is not taking any steps to make things right in the wake of Chloe's death.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

"We feel like we're missing a part of our lives now and it seems like they just don't care about it," Ware said.

He said his wife has been trying to reach management at UPS since Chloe died Friday but the company has not kept its promises to have a supervisor review the case and reach out about starting an insurance claim.

Ware said all investments of time and attachment aside, Chloe cost around $3,000 to buy and he hopes to see UPS provide his family at least that much for their suffering.

"I'm hoping they would at least offer to reimburse the dog since we had so much time and money into raising her," Ware said. "It won't bring her back but it would definitely help us heal."

Ware said he also hopes Chloe's death may lead to a policy change at UPS and other delivery companies so that when a property owner asks them to not pass a gate or use a private driveway, they adhere to those wishes.

"I could understand if a dog got hit on a county road or a public street, but this was in our private driveway," Ware said. "This was a place we felt safe and secure and we have told them multiple times to park by the road and just set our packages on the porch."

Ware provided the Tuscaloosa Thread with a video his front door camera captured of the moment the delivery truck ran over Chloe and it is embedded below. It contains an unobstructed view of the accident and should not be viewed by readers who will find such content disturbing.

Editor's Note: A spokesperson for UPS reached out to the Tuscaloosa Thread Tuesday afternoon and said the company has been in contact with the Ware family since the day of the accident and is working with the family now to make things right.

"We were saddened to learn about this incident, and have extended our deepest condolences to the family," UPS said in a statement. "We are working with them to address and resolve the situation."