Dog Attack Injuries and Compensation...

by Tara
(USA)

My son got bit by a vicious dog down our street at 11:00 pm. My son had to seek medical attention and was in the hospital overnight. He received stitches and had to go back for check ups.

My son now has a scar on his right cheek, from near the top of his ear to the middle of his cheek. He was 5 years old when this incident happened he has just recently turned 6. Can he receive compensation?

Disclaimer: Information provided in our response is NOT formal legal advice. It is generic legal information based on the very limited information you provided. Under no circumstances should the information in our response, or anywhere else on this site be relied upon when making decisions about your case. You should always get a formal case review from a licensed attorney.

ANSWER for "Dog Attack Injuries and Compensation...":

Tara:

A dog bite can be quite traumatic, especially for a child. Scarring can have lifelong consequences.

There are few defenses to dog bites. One example is abuse of the animal and another is the unreasonable teasing or taunting of the animal. It is clear your child is entirely incapable of either. There may though be a concern about your son being outside at 11:00 p.m., especially if he was left unattended.

The owner of the animal is unarguably liable for your child's injuries. If the dog is a privately owned "house dog" the liability should be covered by the homeowner's insurance policy. If the dog is used as a watch dog for a business, the business itself may share liability.

Your son should receive compensation for his injuries. The law permits you to seek compensation from more than one of those named above. The difficulty for you may be deciding how to apportion liability between or among the owners. Qualified Personal Injury Attorneys deal with cases like these all the time.

Assessing the degree of liability for each person or business will be the key to your success in recovering the fair and rightful compensation your son deserves.

Since laws change frequently and across jurisdictions you should get a personalized case evaluation from an attorney licensed in your state (if you haven't already). Find an experienced local attorney to give you a FREE personalized case review here.


Best of luck,

Law Guy