Dog Bite Injuries Can Be Costly and Entitle You to Compensation 

According to data published by the CDC, over 4.7 million dog bites happen each year in the United States. Children aged 4-9 years of age are most at risk when it comes to dog bite injuries. Whatever the age of the individual bitten by a dog, the CDC estimates that 1 in 5 dog bite injury victims will require emergency medical care. 

Under Florida Statute Ch. 767.04 titled “Dog owner’s liability for damages to persons bitten,” the owner of a dog will be liable for the damages caused by a bite injury when: 

• The person bitten was in a public place 
• The victim was lawfully in a private place 
• This includes the private property of the owner of the dog 

This means that as long as a person was not trespassing and breaking the law, the dog owner will be liable for the damages of the bite. 

However, when it comes to children, the situation is different. Children are not considered rational actors by the court, as they do not have the reasoning ability to understand the consequences of their actions. This is why both dog owners and property owners, as we’ll discuss below, must take extra care to keep children safe from hazards. 

Dog Attacks Can Result in a Variety of Injuries

When a dog attacks, victims can suffer numerous injuries, many of which result in damage that may never heal. Even smaller dogs have the ability to knock down adults in an attack, which can lead to damage such as traumatic brain injuries, damage to the spine, broken bones, and torn ligaments.

The average dog has a bite force of approximately 230-240 pounds per square inch, and many breeds bite with a force that is more than twice that high. Human bite force, by contrast, is not much more than 160 pounds per square inch. Dogs can bite with a force that crushes bones and nerves, even if their teeth don’t break the skin. Victims of dog attacks frequently suffer from severe damage to muscles, nerves, and bones.

Dogs have long, pointed canine teeth that are designed to grip and tear prey. Their premolars are capable of shredding flesh. This makes it easy for a dog bite to break the skin and cause deep puncture wounds that are prone to dangerous infection. Victims often require surgery to repair torn skin and tissue. Amputation injuries are not uncommon.

When a dog bites a human on the head, the damage to ears, eyes, and other parts of the face may leave lasting functional damage and scars. However, some of the most devastating injuries from dog attacks involve the emotional and mental damage suffered by victims. An attack of such a violent and painful nature triggers an emotional response that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, accompanied by depression and other manifestations of emotional distress. Victims may be terrified to leave their homes and often have difficulty sleeping and concentrating.

The combined physical and mental effects of a dog attack can easily result in catastrophic injuries. After a dog bite or other attack, a Tallahassee dog bite injury lawyer knows that the victim’s quality of life may be permanently impaired in many ways.

The Location of the Attack Can Affect Liability

While dog owners have responsibilities regardless of where a dog is located, they have a heightened duty to protect others from dog bite injuries in certain locations. Specifically, Section 767.04 of the Florida Statutes imposes strict liability for dog attacks that occur in public places or on private property if the person attacked had a lawful right to be on the property.

That means that if you are attacked by a dog while you’re on public property, such as in a park, or while you’re on someone’s property without trespassing, then you don’t need to prove that the dog owner was negligent in controlling the dog. If the dog owner alleges that you did something to cause the attack or if the owner had a warning sign posted about a “bad dog” on the premises, then you will need to prove that the dog owner’s negligence was the cause of your injuries.

How to Recover Compensation for Dog Bite Injuries

Even when a dog attack results in severe injuries, it can be difficult to succeed in recovering compensation to cover the cost of medical care and rehabilitation and to offset the suffering and provide justice for the damage to your quality of life. You will need to file a lawsuit clearly establishing the extent of your losses and refute arguments raised in defense by professional legal teams working for the insurance companies and others involved in the case.

For the best chance of success, you need legal advice and representation from personal injury attorneys in Tallahassee who understand how to overcome the obstacles and fight for your interests. At Searcy Denney, we have decades of experience recovering maximum compensation for victims of dog attacks and other injuries, and we know what it takes to beat the insurance companies and defense lawyers. We know that details matter, and we investigate to include every bit of information that can be leveraged to achieve the best recovery in your case.

Dog Bite Injury FAQs

How Much is My Dog Bite Injury Worth? 

A dog bite injury is a personal injury, and a personal injury claim is worth what the evidence can prove the related costs and damages will be. Generally, the main parts of a personal injury claim are medical expenses, lost wages while recovering, lost earnings potential due to any lingering disability, lost enjoyment of life, and potentially pain and suffering. 

Your medical costs are measured through first the emergency room bills, then through follow-up opinions to measure and predict the future medical costs associated with your injuries. This includes any ongoing treatment, rehabilitation, surgeries, medications, and other medical necessities from the time of your injury through the remainder of your life. 

What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do for My Dog Bite Case? 

The purpose of collecting damages for your dog bite injury or other personal injury is to be put in as close a position as possible as though the accident has not happened. When your finances change due to medical costs and an impact on your ability to work, compensation is meant to make up for that. If your injuries will lead to a loss of enjoyment in life and ongoing pain and suffering, you can also collect compensation for those negative changes in your life. 

Your personal injury handles your entire claim, which begins with collecting evidence to accurately and completely measure the costs and damages linked to your injury. To collect, it must be proven that the other party was negligent. Your attorney will collect evidence in support of your case and carefully assess the unique facts and circumstances that led to your injury to identify the liable party. 

How Much Will My Personal Injury Lawyer Cost? 

Your initial consultation is risk-free and cost-free, and we only get paid if we win on your case. You’ll pay nothing up-front, and nothing out-of-pocket, ever. This is because we take personal injury cases on contingency, which means that we only get paid if we win, out of a portion of the earnings that we’ll agree upon before getting started. 

During your free initial case assessment, we’ll collect some basic information about your injuries and the accident that caused them. From there we’ll be able to determine if we can take your case. If we can, we’ll discuss how our attorney-client relationship works, answer any questions you might have, and when we are in agreement we’ll get moving on your case. Working with a personal injury attorney helps to ensure that you collect the amount of compensation to which you are entitled while removing the stress of the complex and time-consuming claims process from your day-to-day life.

Connect with a Tallahassee Dog Bite Injury Attorney

If you or a loved one has been attacked by a dog, contact our Tallahassee firm online today. Our team can answer your questions and help you get the compensation you deserve.