Dog Bite Injuries – Is a Lawsuit Right For You?
Jun 07, 2010
Dogs can be wonderful companions. Unlike cats or most other pets, you can take them for long walks, play with them indoors or out, and spend quality time with them in a way that makes other kinds of pets pale in comparison. When raised in the right environment, dogs are sensitive and loving, and they enjoy being with humans. But all dog owners need to remember that animals are unpredictable, and even the best pets can snap out at someone and injure them. Often they do so because they feel threatened or they’ve been injured, but the simple fact of the matter is that dog bites happen, even to the best of owners.
Legal Matters
Many dog bites go unreported. This is because the one who is injured by the dog is the owner of the dog and their injuries are not severe enough to require treatment. Doctors are required, by law, to inform authorities whenever someone is treated for a dog bite, regardless of whether or not the person was injured by their own dog, which is why many people tend to not tell their doctor that they’ve been bitten.
Sometimes it is a friend of the family who is bitten by the dog, and the injury is occurred. Then there are instances in which a person is actually harmed a great deal by a dog, and in cases like those, a lawsuit may be necessary to recover the cost of the damages involved.
Should You Look to a Lawsuit?
If you’ve been bitten by a dog, should you look to file a lawsuit immediately? Maybe not. The first thing that you should definitely do is to get treated, and to make sure that you have papers that prove that the dog has been treated for rabies. Once you’ve been treated for the injury, you may want to speak with a lawyer. An experienced lawyer will help you to figure out if you have a viable case that may mean a recovery in your favor. In many cases, if the injury is fairly small and the owner agrees to pay for all damages, a lawsuit might not be the best option to meet your needs.
Some people, however, refuse to pay for the injuries that their dog has caused, and even worse is when the same dog has been responsible for more than one injury. At that point it is obvious that something needs to be done with the dog, but the owner doesn’t agree to take any steps to fix the problem. That’s when a lawsuit can help. A lawsuit can do more than just get you money to help you to pay for your medical bills; it can also make the owner responsible for keeping the dog away from humans. In some sad cases, the dog may need to be put down, but often training and the owner having to keep the dog tied up and away from people is sufficient. Before you instantly think about a lawsuit when you are bitten by a dog, make sure you speak with an attorney.