Saw this shadow then felt a bump on my way home this morning, stopped the bike and saw this huge rat (bigger than my size 8 feet anyway) with a broken back. Had to put the poor thing out of its misery and even though it's back looked broken it still sort of hissed at me as I performed the last rites. Stupid rat. http://www.flickr.com/photos/15441137@N03/2189126448/
you killed it or ran over it already on it's way out? good, they're proper vermin and a public health hazard supposedly filthy with disease so be careful what you touched it with
I wouldn't know how to put anything out of it's misery effectively - be too worried about making it worse. Thought you were going to say you'd run over some 'goo' and it had splattered your bike - if so wash off fast as it soon goes off, and your bike would stink.... even small amounts get surprisingly whiffy
Take Tynan's advice and make sure anything that touched the rat or was sprayed by it's blood or intestines is well washed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was the culprit who ran over it. I haven't disenfected my tyres but I did aim for more puddles on the rest of the trip home.
Rank. I wouldn't deliberately kill any animal vermin or not, as they've all got family and friends, but given that you had already run it over, well done for putting it out of its misery. Dare I ask how you actually put it out of its misery? Needless to say, don't listen to Cunobelin.
An ex colleague was driving to work when he hit a cat. He drove on for a moment, then reversed to see how it was. There on the verge was a cat thrashing about on the grass. Being a compassionate type, he put it out of its misery with a wheel brace. As he pulled away, he noticed another cat, presumably the one he had hit, on a hedge. The other one had been happily rolling in the sun...
I used a brick but I am really squeamish about stuff like that but I figured it was kinder than leaving it to die slowly.