What is a Dog Bite Lawsuit?

Dogs are usually amiable animals

Dogs are usually amiable animals, but sometimes you could be injured by them. If a dog or any other dangerous pet bites you, it may cause serious injury, and the owner of that pet can be held liable for your damages. Depending on the reason behind the incident, you can file a dog bite lawsuit against the dog owner to receive compensation for the damages. A professional dog bite lawyer like Krasney Law can help you with your case. A lawyer has the experience to gain you compensation that insurance companies often refuse to pay.

Liability in a Dog Bite Lawsuit

Depending on the state law, the liability for your dog bite injury may differ. If a trespasser who is staying at a place where he is not legally allowed gets bitten by the homeowner’s dog, then the court could reject his damage claim. If someone purposely provokes a dog or neglects the dog owner’s warning and gets bitten, his case will not have a strong base in court to claim damages. The plaintiff could hold the defendant liable for his own injuries.

The defendant has to follow all local rules and regulations regarding animal care. If the defendant breaks any of the rules and regulations, he could be held liable for the dog bite injury. For example, if a local law requires you to leash your dog all the time while you are in public and you let the dog off the leash and it bites someone, you could be held liable. Anyone could provoke your friendly dog, resulting in your dog ending up biting him. You could claim that the person is at fault for provoking the dog. However, you would be held responsible for not following the local law and unleashing your dog at a public place.

File The Dog Bite Lawsuit

Compared to other personal injury cases, dog bite cases are more straightforward. To claim damages from the dog owner, you have to make sure that the owner is liable for the incident, and it’s not your fault. Also, your injuries have to be directly from the dog, otherwise you could lose the claim. The lawsuit requires you to present the damage report and the evidence of your injury.

Damages

For claiming the damages, you have to account for all the current and future costs. Costs include your current and expected future medical bills, your lost wages, damage of a permanent scar, a permanent disability, and also the cost of rehabilitation. The dog bite is a traumatic injury; this could result in a psychological scar. Along with all of your physical damages, you could also include the punitive damages for your emotional disturbances. An experienced dog bite lawyer could help you to file a claim for compensatory and punitive damages.

Evidence

When you file for the damage claim, you have to prove that you were not in the wrong, and the injury is from a direct dog bite. If you could not prove that the injury is from a dog, then the court or the insurance company will refuse to cover the damages for you. This evidence may include photographs of the scene and injuries, your medical bills, the incident, and witness reports.

When you have allocated the damages and prepared the evidence, you have to hire an experienced dog bite lawyer to help you with the case. An insurance company could protect the dog owner by covering for any dog bite incidents, but most insurance companies do not cover dog bite incidents.

If the insurance company of the dog owner wants to negotiate with you, your experienced dog bite lawyer will negotiate with them on your behalf. If they do not try to negotiate, then your lawyer will file a claim against them in the court. If this matter goes to court, then the dog’s owner has no other option but to either negotiate a settlement with you or go for the trial. Either way, your lawyer will help you with it.

That is why it is crucial to find an experienced and dedicated dog bite lawyer for your case.