Dog bites can be a traumatic and legally complex experience. Depending on the state, victims may have a limited amount of time to file a dog bite lawsuit against the dog owner. It is important to understand the legalities of these cases and how to pursue a claim for damages. Attorney Neil Shouse, a former Los Angeles prosecutor and graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard Law School, has been featured on various media outlets and recognized by National Trial Lawyers as one of the Top 100 Criminal Lawyers and the Top 100 Civil Lawyers.
If you have been injured by a dog bite, we recommend consulting with our Minneapolis dog bite lawyers for a free consultation.In some cases, it may be more cost-effective to hire an attorney to handle a dog bite liability case than to pursue it on your own. There are three main types of liability that may apply in dog bite cases, particularly in states where there is strict liability. Factors such as recovery time and the severity of the dog bite can influence the duration of the case. Victims may suffer from limb bites that prevent them from earning wages as they recover.It is important to carefully evaluate the decision not to sue with the help of a dog bite lawyer.
In Ohio, for example, state law determines how long victims have until they can no longer successfully sue someone. If you are in California, contact our best injury lawyers or book an online consultation for a free review of your dog bite case. In states with strict liability laws, the dog owner is responsible for any injuries caused by their pet, even if they did nothing wrong.A dog owner with no personal connection to the victim may try to evade responsibility by refusing to answer phone calls or cooperate at the scene of the attack. Provocation can be used as a defense if the injured person provoked, tormented, abused or assaulted the dog before the attack.
However, even minor cases should be taken seriously in order to avoid future incidents.Dog bite injuries can leave victims with lifelong physical and mental trauma that can take years to recover. There are also more specific legal issues such as common law and statutory law that should be handled by an experienced dog bite lawyer. Even in Minnesota, where there is a presumption of responsibility for the owner of a dog who bites someone, other factors may be taken into account such as provocation or questions about ownership.If the victim does not obtain any documentation from the dog owner, they may not be able to receive compensation for their damages. In strict liability cases like dog bites, our experienced attorneys at Sand Law will fight to get the responsible party and their insurer to meet their legal responsibility to pay for all injury-related costs.
