Establishing Liability in Dog Bite Cases
Dog attacks can cause serious injuries, and in some cases, you may have a claim even if you weren’t actually bitten. In this video, we explain when a dog owner may be held responsible for an attack, common misconceptions about dog bite liability, and why a thorough investigation is an important part of these cases. Watch the video below to learn more.
Video Transcription
If you're attacked or bitten by a dog, and I use those terms differently, I've represented people who were not actually bitten by a dog, but they were injured trying to escape a dog bite.
Either way, you may have a claim against the owner of the dog.
Many people think that an owner of a dog is not responsible for any attack unless the dog has previously bitten somebody and the owner had notice. The law doesn't provide that.
If that dog has previously shown any violent tendencies or violent propensities, the owner now is on notice to guard that dog and to make sure that it doesn't come in contact with small children or anybody who may be bitten, to keep it on a leash, and they have to protect it.
Moreover, even if the dog has no violent propensities or tendencies, there are still rules as to leashing, where you can bring the dog, and the type of things you can do with a dog and the crowds you can bring it into that you have to comply with as an owner.
So if you've been attacked or injured by a bite from a dog, you may have a claim.
The best thing to do is to do a full investigation.
As lawyers, what we do is contact animal control and find out everything we can about the dog, the owner, prior attacks, and many times you do have a claim.
Either way, you may have a claim against the owner of the dog.
Many people think that an owner of a dog is not responsible for any attack unless the dog has previously bitten somebody and the owner had notice. The law doesn't provide that.
If that dog has previously shown any violent tendencies or violent propensities, the owner now is on notice to guard that dog and to make sure that it doesn't come in contact with small children or anybody who may be bitten, to keep it on a leash, and they have to protect it.
Moreover, even if the dog has no violent propensities or tendencies, there are still rules as to leashing, where you can bring the dog, and the type of things you can do with a dog and the crowds you can bring it into that you have to comply with as an owner.
So if you've been attacked or injured by a bite from a dog, you may have a claim.
The best thing to do is to do a full investigation.
As lawyers, what we do is contact animal control and find out everything we can about the dog, the owner, prior attacks, and many times you do have a claim.