When You Should Sue Over Dog Bite Injuries

If you own or live around dogs, you know that many are docile pets that are quicker to lick than bite. However, there are those dogs that bite people and cause severe damage and injury. If you experienced harm by means of another person’s dog, you should consider legal compensation. Here is when you should sue over dog bite injuries.

Dogs and the Law

Let’s face it—dogs are animals, and sometimes they can act on their instinctual urges, some of which are quite dangerous to people. No one should have to live in fear of aggressive dogs that lunge, bite, and otherwise attack humans. Even if you feel confident in your ability to fend off a dog, consider what such a dog would do to a child or older adult. Regardless of your stance on dogs as pets, they can do serious damage to people when left unsupervised, untrained, or untied.

Sadly, legal cases involving dogs are common enough that most states have laws delineating how to handle the situation. There are levels to how a dog harms a human. The first levels revolve around generally aggressive behavior with minor bites that do not penetrate the skin. If the dog breaks the skin, that is where serious injury occurs. In many cases, dogs that bite this hard mean to do so and can continue attacking humans until they hospitalize or, in the absolute worst, tragic circumstances, kill them. Take the time to research your local laws determining the level of severity your case warrants. If a loved one died because of a dog attack, you must seek justice with the law. Consult with a wrongful death attorney in Boise, Idaho, like those on our team at Rossman Law Group.

The Place of Pet Owners

Pet ownership is a privilege that some do not take seriously. In fact, there is a spectrum of bad ownership, ranging from physically abusive to absently negligent behavior on the per owner’s part. In either case, once the pet owner fails their responsibility, and the law becomes involved in the situation.

Dogs owners take on a burden of responsibility when they purchase a pet. They must care for, clean, and train their dogs. Whether they know it or not, their actions directly influence their dog’s actions. A lack of human oversight can lead to a lack of dog inhibition, while conversely, a presence of discipline leads to a responsible canine citizen. Pet owners who ignore their dogs and let them get away with everything facilitate the formation of a dangerous cycle of destructive behavior without consequences. To a dog, the world is their oyster, and they will act on their animalistic urges if not properly trained. In the worst cases, they become unhinged and attack everything and everyone around them.

People with dogs must abide by the state legislature that directs pet ownership. This includes regulations on where they can bring their pet, how they must handle it in public, and how they treat the dog at home. Pet owners without an awareness of these social parameters are typically the ones with the dogs that end up biting and harming people. If you were bit by a dog, you likely experienced a lackadaisical pet owner who was upset by the incident but did not move to do anything about it. This is where you should seek compensation and bring the law into the mix.

Seeking Justice Against Canine and Owner

Unlike other legal situations, dog bite injuries involve animals in the deliberation and verdict. Though the owner is may be at fault for their negligent behavior, the aggressive dog is still alive and could attack more people. This makes for a tricky situation where you must decide how to argue the case.

If you sustained an injury that led to medical help, you should receive compensation for the medical expenses, especially if the dog damaged your bones, nerves, or other vital structures. After all, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got attacked by an aggressive dog. Many people who experience traumatic injuries from a dog may want to push for that dog’s release from the owner or even for it to be put down. Repeat offenders could harm other people again, and in even worse ways. You should discuss the details of such a case with your lawyer and determine its viability in a court of law.

When To Sue

All of this information raises the critical question: When should you sue for a dog bite injury? Some teething puppies may not be aggressive, but their sharper teeth could penetrate the skin and cause an infection. In other cases, the dog was protecting its owner from a perceived intruder and did not act with undue reasoning as a rabid dog might. Though these are only two of hundreds of possible scenarios, the truth is each case is tricky, and you may feel stuck in the moral middle ground.

On the one hand, you suffered an injury from a dog who could do the same thing to another person. On the other hand, if you press charges, you could be responsible for a dog’s death. Regardless of these moral dilemmas, you should seek justice where it is due. If you need help deliberating whether you should seek restitution for canine-related wrongs, reach out to a dog bite injury attorney. They have both the skill and experience to determine your legal options and help you talk through the difficulties of the situation.

As with any legal case, you must furnish adequate evidence to show that the dog acted aggressively, that your injuries resulted from the dog’s actions, that the dog owner was involved, and that you deserve compensation of some sort. Each of these points requires documentation and testimonies that a lawyer can help you organize. Be sure to have questions about evidence in a dog bite case on hand when you discuss it with a legal professional. They can give you the answers you need to make the right decision about suing.

Knowing when you should sue over dog bite injuries is a challenge, especially if your experience falls within the gray middle area where you were injured but don’t know what a legal charge could look like in the end. Our team of personal injury lawyers at Rossman Law Group can help. Request a free consultation with our legal professionals today to sort out your dog bite injury case.