Attacked By A Dog? Information To Help You
If you were attacked by a dog, in many cases, you have the legal right to take action. Exactly what you can do depends on many factors, however. Below is information about this so that you can take the right steps.
Dog Owner Liability
Most states have dog bite laws that are meant to protect people if something like this happens. With these laws, the owner of the dog that bites holds all liability. This is especially true if the dog has bitten before in the past and the owner knows their dog can be dangerous to anyone in their home or outside of their home.
If you are out in public and a dog comes up and bites you, and you did not provoke the dog in any way, the owner is liable. If you provoked a dog, however, the owner would not be liable in most cases. This law covers not only dog bites but also other injuries by dogs, such as if the dog pushes you hard and you fall and have an injury, or if the dog claws your skin, causing injury.
If the dog owner invited you to their home and their dog bit you, the owners is liable. Even if you walk into the owner's yard on your own, such as to visit the owner without being invited, the owner would still be liable if the dog is loose out in the yard. If the dog owner leaves the dog loose without being in any kind of fence, the owner is liable if the dog runs up to a person or even another dog and injures them.
What You Should Do
As soon as you are bitten by a dog, you need to seek medical treatment. This is even the case if you are not sure that you are injured badly. You never know if the dog hurt you much worse than you think, such as if it injured one of the nerves in your hands or arms.
Have someone take pictures of your injuries as soon as you can after the injury. The dog owner may even take these pictures for you if they will work with you.
Do not sign any kind of document or make any kind of recorded statements on your own. Instead, contact a personal injury attorney as soon as you can. An attorney who is knowledgeable in dog bite laws can ensure that you are treated fairly.
Talk with a personal injury attorney from a firm like Carter & Fulton, P.S., and they can give you much more information.
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