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You are here: Home: >> Public: >> Accident & Injury Law: >> Dog Bites

Dog Bites

Beware of Dog ImageStatistics show that over 4.5 million people in the United States become victims of dog bites every year. Of those victims, around 800,000 must seek medical attention and an average number of 17 people die as a result of dog attacks each year, most of which are children.

A person injured due to a dog bite or attack should seek medical attention. Failure to due so could lead to possible infection and further injury. It is also important to be able to identify the dog responsible for the attack for both medical and legal reasons.

Dog Bites and the Law

In many dog bite situations, the victim has a legal right to pursue damages from the dog’s owner after the injury and resulting medical attention. Depending on the situation and the seriousness of the injury inflicted by the dog, a victim may recover damages for pain and suffering; medical expenses accrued, and lost wages.

In many cases a state’s dog bite laws will impose what is called ''strict liability'' on the attacking dog’s owner. This means that the owner of the dog is responsible for injuries inflicted by the dog regardless if the owner was at fault or not. In states that do not provide specific dog bite laws, a victim must prove that the dog’s owner had knowledge that the dog was considered vicious and had the ability to cause injury. However, under ''strict liability'' a victim only has to prove that they were attacked and know the identity of the attacking dog.

Laws Protecting Dog Owners

On the other side of the spectrum, the owner of a dog involved in a dog bite can be protected from claims brought against him or her. Situations that could exclude a victim from recovering damages from a dog owner include:

  • The owner proves that the victim provoked the dog, resulting in a bite.
  • The victim of the attack was trespassing on the owner’s property.
  • If the owner took appropriate measures to warn others against the dangerous behavior of the dog and this warning was ignored. This could involve a person ignoring a posted ''beware of dog'' sign.

If you have suffered an injury due to a dog bite and feel you have a right to pursue compensation, contact a Personal Injury Attorney immediately.



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