Hit and Run?

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I few years ago I was living way out in the country, in Northern Arizona. I worked at a small convenience store in town and returned home late. One night, a little black cat literally jumped into the road and I tried not to hit him, and missed him with my front tires, but heard a thump. I was only going about 25 miles an hour, but slowed and turned around, parking on the verge with my lights on. I exited the car and carefully crossed the road to where she lie. I approached with much trepidation, wondering what condition she might be in, imagining the worst. She was unconscious but still breathing. There was some blood, but no mutilation. I got a towel out of my car, picked her up and took her to my mother's house. We laid her in a box in the laundry room and I went home. The next morning, I took her home and made an appointment with my vet. She had a hurt paw and a dislocated jaw, but was relatively okay. I cared for her for about a month and was going to keep her but she was afraid of my children and didn't like my other cats, so I found a local animal rescue organization that agreed to take her and find her a home. I visited her at the home after a couple of weeks and she seemed very well adjusted and happy. I had felt that I was responsible for this cat since I had caused her injury, whether intentional or not. Some of the locals that visited the store where I worked, however, were not so kind. They made jokes like, "If you have a stray you want to get rid of, just throw it in front of her car and she'll take care of it." Have you ever hit a cat or dog while driving? What did you do? What would you do? Would you feel responsible for it if you caused it harm?