This happened between 3:30 - 4pm on a Tuesday...none of the area vets were closed at that hour.
John was asked by his neighbor what had happened, if his dog(s) had been chasing her cats. His reply as he picked up his son was that he hadn't seen any cats and he needed to get to class.
John did not go directly to any vet. He did not do all he could to help Lucy.
Lucy had a collar on containing the owners phone numbers. John waited 4 hours to call.
Just look at the facts...