Get the Compensation You Need for Your Dog Bite Injuries
Every year over 800,000 dog bites per year require some kind of medical attention. The Atlantic City personal injury attorneys of Petro Cohen, P.C.have experience seeking compensation for dog bite injuries, so we have encountered many questions about the law surrounding these types of injury situations.
Dog owners are generally liable if the dog causes injury to someone or damage to someone’s property. Reimbursement could include costs of medical bills, time away from worker, and pain and suffering. While the owner’s homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy may cover the cost (even if it occurs off the owner’s property), the owner will be required to take measures to prevent another incident—in the most serious cases, by destroying the dog.
An owner may be liable for the injury if:
They knew their dog had a tendency to cause that kind of injury. But the victim must prove the owner knew the dog posed a danger. For example, if you have been scratched by a dog once and informed the owner, but it still happened a second time, you would have proof that the owner knew about the dog’s tendency to scratch people.
There is a New Jersey state dog-bite statute that makes dog owners liable for almost any injury their dog causes, regardless of prior knowledge of tendency. For example, if you have a dog that is usually gentle with people, but one day, while on leash, your dog bites a child in a park without provocation. You may be held financially responsible because the child was “acting peaceably” in a place he or she had a right to be.
The owner was unreasonably careless and that caused the injury. If the dog caused injury or damage because the owner acted negligently, then the owner may be liable. For example, if the owner puts the dog in the back yard, but forgets to close the gate. The dog runs into the front yard and bites the mail carrier, then the owner is responsible for injury because of his or her negligence—leaving the gate open.
If you or a loved one has been injured by someone else’s dog or any other pet, then you need a consultation with the New Jersey personal injury lawyers at Petro Cohen, P.C. Click here or call us today at (888) 675-7607 to schedule a consultation.
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