When we meet or interact with other peoples’ dogs, we typically expect the owner to either warn us that the dog has shown aggressive tendencies (and that the owner has taken appropriate precautions such as muzzling) or that the dog is safe to be around. Owners have a responsibility to others that include precautions or measures like muzzling or restraining aggressive animals, as well as training and socializing them appropriately if they decide to bring the animal around other people. Unfortunately, many people either fail to recognize warning signs that their dog may be aggressive or do not take the appropriate precautions when they know that the dog is a risk to others.
Being attacked by a dog can be a terrifying and traumatic experience, as well as the fact that these attacks can cause serious, permanent, or even fatal injuries to a victim. If someone else’s dog has attacked you, you may be entitled to compensation for a range of impacts you’ve suffered (and may continue to suffer well past when your claim is resolved).
Contact 1-800-Injured To Find a Dog Bite Lawyer in Jacksonville With Ease
1-800-Injured is an attorney and medical referral service. Trying to calculate these impacts, known in personal injury law as “damages,” can be complicated for someone unfamiliar with tort law, especially as they try to recover from their injuries. Working with a personal injury attorney after a dog bite in Jacksonville is one of the best ways to ensure that you are taking all of the necessary legal steps to get the money you deserve without overwhelming yourself or falling prey to the many tactics an insurance company uses to settle claims quickly and inexpensively.
When you contact 1-800-Injured after a dog attack, we will find a lawyer available to take your case and schedule a free consultation for you. When you can speak directly with an attorney about your situation, you will be able to look towards the future with confidence about your legal options. Trying to go through this process alone is difficult, stressful, and often results in settlement agreements for far less than what a victim is owed.
Contact us as soon as possible to get legal help from an experienced and proven Jacksonville lawyer.
Who Is Liable For a Dog Attack in Florida?
If a dog has attacked you in Jacksonville, one of the first things you will need to determine for your legal case is who is at fault for the attack, and therefore liable for the damages you are suffering. In most cases, a dog’s owner is responsible for their behavior, meaning that in an attack where the victim did not provoke the animal and was not trespassing on private property, the owner must answer for their animal’s behavior.
According to the Florida Statutes, “The owner of any dog that bites any person while such person is on or in a public place, or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, is liable for damages suffered by persons bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owners’ knowledge of such viciousness.” Simply put, this means that an owner cannot use ignorance of the animal’s aggression to avoid liability.
A dog owner may attempt to claim that an innocent victim provoked the animal to reduce their liability or avoid responsibility entirely, but it is essential to work with an experienced legal professional who can ensure that your story is told clearly and accurately to ensure that responsibility is allocated appropriately when determining fault. In Florida tort law, a victim may assume partial fault for an accident and still be entitled to compensation under the rule of “pure comparative fault,” but insurers may attempt to leverage this law to simply reduce their financial obligation to a victim. Your lawyer will work to ensure that your rights as a victim are upheld.
What To Do After a Dog Attack
After any sort of injury, getting appropriate medical care is essential and should be your top priority. The following steps are meant to give you an idea of how to handle this situation, but the most important priority should be your health and safety above all else.
Get To Safety
Get away from the animal as quickly as possible, and make sure that they cannot come near you as they may attack again. Hopefully, the animal’s owner is able to restrain them and keep them away from you, but you may need to shut yourself in a vehicle or behind a closed door to ensure that they will not break free and come after you again.
Call 911
As soon as you are safe from a potential second attack, call 911. The 911 operator will be able to dispatch a nearby police officer who will be able to compile an incident report, issue any citations, and ensure that the proper legal protocols are followed; an EMT team who will be able to examine your injuries, provide emergency medical care, and suggest follow-up actions; and a team of firefighters who will secure the area.
Calling 911 can be a difficult decision for a victim. They try not to “make a big deal” out of the situation, and a dog owner may make you feel like you are overreacting, but getting immediate medical attention is your right. It should be your absolute top priority regardless of what the dog owner says.
Get Medical Care
When the EMTs arrive, let them give a complete examination of your injuries and provide you with on-site medical care. One of the most important things to do with a dog bite is to clean the wounds with soap and water to remove as much bacteria as possible. One of the biggest risks of a dog attack is the possibility of infection from the bacteria in a dog’s mouth, and even minor puncture wounds can turn into a serious problem.
After working with EMTs, contact your doctor (unless you are transported to the emergency room in the ambulance) to schedule a follow-up appointment as soon as possible. This will ensure that you are taking the proper steps, such as a rabies test, keeping the wounds properly cleaned and dressed and that your injuries are being documented for any upcoming legal actions you may take.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
Once you have gotten your medical needs under control, partnering with a proven personal injury attorney is one of the best ways to ensure you are following the right path towards fair compensation.