Who can be held liable for a dog attack injury? What responsibility does the dog owner have?

If your dog has attacked another person, or if you have been attacked by a dog, you may wonder about the liability for a domestic animal attack. Although dogs bite more than 4.7 million people every year—nearly 2% of the total population—very few of those bites are serious enough to warrant medical treatment beyond cleaning the bite and bandaging. The large majority of dog bite victims are children, and because of their size in relation to the dog, serious injuries are much more likely as a child may get bitten in the face, causing long-lasting injuries and trauma.

Who is Liable?

While dog bite laws vary from state to state, most states do hold the dog owner liable for a dog attack, most especially if the owner knowingly kept a dog who had previously bitten or shown any sort of dangerous tendencies. There is a rule known as the “one-bite rule” which shields an owner to some extent if their dog has never bitten another person nor shown any such tendencies. The victim of a dog bite attack must show that the dog was indeed owned by the defendant, the dog bite attack occurred on public property, the victim was injured through the dog attack, and the dog caused the injury. Depending on the particular facts of your case, there could be other liable parties such as the caretaker of the dog, a landlord who was aware the dog was dangerous or the residential or commercial property owner.

Getting Legal Help

An experienced dog bite attorney can identify potential damages due to injuries sustained in a dog attack. Whether you were the recipient of a dog bite and want to receive compensation for your injuries, or whether your dog attacked someone and you need help defending yourself in court, call a skilled attorney who has a solid background in dog attacks.