Dog bites can be serious. Some people, however, will only tell you that you need to contact a Memphis dog bite lawyer in order to get fair compensation for their injuries. You should always seek legal advice before anything goes wrong so it doesn’t take a dog bite for you to end up with problems later.
Dog Bite Injury Claims
Dog bites can be painful, and depending on the extent of your injuries or medical complications it might be worth looking at hiring a criminal law attorney. If you have been bitten by a dog in your neighborhood and are unsure about taking legal action, that isn’t uncommon for most people. If you’ve been bitten by a dog, and have to seek medical treatment, you may be entitled to file personal injury claims against the owner of the dog or their insurance company. If you were bitten by a dog, speaking to a lawyer about the case could be very helpful. You may want to speak with one about how much work you’ll need to do and what types of evidence they might need in order to help prove negligence.
At Wright & Gray Group, we aim to resolve your case and get you the compensation you deserve. We take our time with each claim, providing ample options for mediation as well as taking you through the process of filing a claim. Hire a professional at Johnson Elias LLC to help recover your stolen vehicle and protect your investments
Determining Liability
Liability looks at the type of injuries to find out who or what is at fault for them. This process requires careful examination of only the relevant details that led up to the injury, so you can find ways to ensure your business remains safe. When a person is injured, personal injury lawyers need to know the available legal options so that they can help their client in any way possible. Determining what those options are, which ones the person has, and how long each option would take all facilitates this process.
Liability refers to an individual or organization having a duty of care to another person or organization. Most individuals who get bitten by dogs will demonstrate that the dog’s owner was negligent in their duty to provide reasonable care by showing that the dog had not been kept up-to-date on all the required changes brought about by updated vaccinations. To prove negligence, therefore, a person must show:
- The owner has a duty to take reasonable care to control the dog’s behavior.
- Even though the owner cared for their pet, they were negligent and caused a lot of suffering for their animal.
- An incident led to an injury.
Judges and juries typically consider other incidents from the injury. If an owner should have expected such an incident would happen, they should take care to prevent it next time.
What Constitutes Reasonable Care?
Owner’s of animals care about their pet as if it were their own. Because these pets are worth so much, some owners today have taken to keeping the animal on a leash, or tether and not giving it freedom to roam around in order to prevent an accident or injury. Owners will also make sure the cage area is up to date with food and water, and that there are no sharp objects which can cause injury found in between
- Signs, Chains, and Fences: Even a simple sign such as a “Beware of Dog” plate would be enough to show that the owner has not neglected their duty of care.
- The Dog’s History: If the dog has a history of being obedient, this may affect what the court sees as reasonable. If the dog has a history of aggressive behavior to passers-by, then the liable parties may be negligent for letting their dog roam free.
- The Dog’s Breed: Some courts consider the dog’s breed as a significant element in determining what is reasonable.
- Owner’s Violation: If the bite was a result of the negligent party violating the law, the owner may be held liable for the dog’s behavior.
Strict Liability Statute
Memphis doesn’t necessarily require you to sue the liable parties for negligence. Instead, negligence laws allow an injured party to bring a case against negligent parties for any unprovoked dog bite injuries. In strict liability cases, like Tennessee, a person must prove negligence on the part of the person responsible for their injuries. However, it is difficult to determine negligence in relation to a dog bite, so strict liability is often more successful. That point is when the owner is no longer liable for damages.
Dog Bite Injuries
If a person has been bitten by an animal, they may need to seek medical attention due to the severity of the injuries that have been inflicted. While dogs may appear harmless with their floppy ears and cuddly tails, they can still have a strong bite that can cause major injury. Their teeth are very sharp and can cause puncture wounds, nerve damage, or other problems if their prey ends up running from them. If the target is small enough to be carried in the mouth or grabs on tightly, it could rip off an arm or leg too. depending on what part of the body has been bitten, the severity of injuries could vary. Surgery may be required to fix them.
Determining the level of injury is important to any personal injury lawsuit. Determining whose fault it was and how much compensation it could be worth depends on the damages that resulted from the incident. The financial compensation will be determined by the injuries you suffered and the outside medical bills. You’ll also need to provide documentation from your medical care and any required police report. In cases where people have sustained injuries that require ongoing treatment, the owner might be responsible for paying for the care or being unable to work because of their injuries. Injuries can also lead to financial losses in terms of money that could have been earned. If this incident goes to court, the owner may find themselves found guilty, which is why punitive damages may be sought. These end up helping to compensate for their wrongdoings and give them an example they will remember in the future.
A dog bite can be a traumatic experience, either physically or mentally. Although there are visible signs of physical injury, mental impacts may not be apparent right away and in some cases lead to mental problems such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Emotional distress from these attacks can lead to a long-term fear of dogs and the trauma it can cause. Even one bite attack could totally change your life forever if you’re not careful because of the fallout such as malpractice claims or lost income. Injuries are difficult to forget, but it is important to remember that they don’t only leave physical damage behind from their occurrence.
Meet with a Memphis Dog Bite Attorney
Contact us at 888-912-4944 or complete the online contact form at the bottom of this page. We can work with you on your animal attack case.
Getting a Lawyer Is Not the Same as Taking Someone to Court
Most personal injury law firms will take cases without them having to go to court. Even if the case doesn’t end up in litigation, they are still responsible for your well-being and can represent you in way that you couldn’t otherwise. A skilled legal counsel will be able to guide accident victims or anyone injured leading up to and during the case. They can also serve as advocates in negotiations with those responsible & even file claims if necessary. In case of an accident or some kind of conflict, it is possible that the other party might be at fault. In such cases, your attorney can function as a mediator where they can collect all the relevant legal information and help assign fault to them based on how plausible their claims are. It’s important to hold individuals responsible if they’re negligent in their actions. This can be done through contacting the individuals who were affected by the problems that stemmed from those negligent parties, or by taking legal action against them.