Own the Sidewalk - If You're Bitten Get a Dog Bite Lawyer

Jun 14
11:00

2012

Andrea Avery

Andrea Avery

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If you're attacked by a vicious dog, hire a dog bite lawyer to hold the owner possible and ensure that you get proper treatment.

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Every jogger's nightmare is to be chased and bitten by a neighborhood canine. Some joggers carry sticks to ward off these frightening encounters and keep canines from nipping at their heels. On the rare occasion where an unfriendly dog does attack an unsuspecting victim such as yourself,Own the Sidewalk - If You're Bitten Get a Dog Bite Lawyer Articles it is of the utmost importance that you hire a dog bite lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases involving animals. The law is not always on your side. Dog bite laws vary from state to state. In some states a victim can receive compensation for a bite from the offending dogs owner's homeowner insurance policy. Depending on state statutes, the extent of liability varies due to different area's court decisions, city ordinances, and state statutes. The three main deciding factors in determining blame in the case of a canine encounter include statutory liability, negligence, and the one bite rule. With the right dog bite lawyer, even people other than the canine owner can be held liable, such as an employer of a dog owner, or a landlord who did not respond properly to rid his property of a dangerous animal. Almost every dog bite case contains some element of negligence. If the dog is running around unsupervised at a public event, is chained to a tree or fence by itself, or is lost control of during a walk and attacks a victim, then the owner is found guilty of general negligence. A landlord could be found guilty of negligence if he had knowledge of a violent pit-bull residing on his property and felt no need to warn his tenants. A dog owner can also be guilty of negligence if he breaks an animal control law like leash laws or laws against dogs trespassing on private property. This form of negligence is "negligence per se" because laws meant to prevent harm were broken. In addition to being found liable for injuries, the dog owner will be faced with punishment fines for breaking these laws. If "negligence per se" cannot be proven, the dog bite lawyer must investigate the dog's past to see if a pre-existing condition such as mistreatment, malnutrition, or abuse led to the dog's violent tendencies. The one bite rule is another element of most canine attack cases. A dog owner is completely liable for any injury sustained during an attack if prior to the incident he knew that his dog had an inclination to biting people. This is a difficult case to build, because both the victim and the dog bite lawyer must prove that the owner's dog had a well-documented past history of violent behavior. However, the one bite rule does not only apply to biting incidents. Aggressive behaviors such as knocking people down or tripping them also fall under the one bite rule. In some "strict liability states" in the USA, there are statutes in place, which change the one bite rule. These statutes dictate that the dog's owner or current keeper is civilly liable for most dog bites provided the victim neither provoked the dog to attack or was caught trespassing.