If a dog has bitten you, and you were seriously injured, you can file a lawsuit against the person who owned the dog who bites you. You can hold them liable for the damages and impact the dog bites had on your life. When it comes to taking legal action after a dog bite, there are a few things you need to understand the process.
You Can Pursue the Dog Owner
When you are bitten by a dog, generally, the person you are going to sue is the owner of the dog. In most states, the dog owner is who is held responsible for the actions of the dog. This is generally true regardless of if the dog owner was present or not.
In order to sue the dog owner, you generally have to have either been in a public place when the dog bit you or been on private property that you were lawfully allowed to be on.
If you were trespassing on private property, you will not have any legal standing to sue the dog owner. You also will not have the legal grounding to sue the dog owner if the dog was a military or police dog who was fulfilling their duties.
You Can Sue for Various Types of Damages
When you sue the dog owner, you can sue for more than just compensation for your medical bills. There are actually a variety of different types of compensation you can ask for in your lawsuit.
If you had to undergo physical therapy due to the dog bite injury, that is considered a medical expense that you can ask to be paid for. If the dog bite has resulted in long-term pain for you, you can get compensation for that pain.
If the injury caused you to lose out on work, you can get paid back for your lost wages. Even if you were paid sick leave for your injuries, you can still get compensation for using those days.
You can also get compensation from counseling sessions. It is common for many dog bite victims to then experience a fear of dogs and need to undergo counseling for it. It is fair that you are compensated for the counseling.
If you experienced permanent scarring, you can seek compensation for the humiliation you feel due to the scarring. If you can't work the same job anymore, you can get compensated for the loss of future earning capacity as well.
If you are bitten by a dog, you can pursue legal action against the dog owner. You can pursue compensation for a variety of both economic and non-economic losses you experienced because of the dog bite. Contact a personal injury lawyer to learn more.
