Many consider a dog to be a man or woman’s best friend because of the loyalty and unconditional love they give. However, if a dog is in the care of a neglectful owner, the animal develops poor behavior early on. Some believe a dog’s instinct is to be aggressively territorial and that it may attack without warning. But most often, the person responsible for the dog is to blame for its destructive actions.

Injury Statistics

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has calculated that more than 4.7 million Americans sustain dog bites every year. Of those, about 800,000 receive medical care and of those, 368,000 are treated in an emergency room. Many are children.

Depending on the size and strength of the dog, a bite can sever a finger, damage facial nerves, penetrate to body organs, cause infection, and certainly cause emotional trauma. If complications arise, they can even turn out to be fatal.

Dog Bite Liability

When someone is injured by a dog bite, responsibility can be attributed to the dog owner who may have had inadequate fencing or no dog lead, allowing the dog to run free. In the case of fencing the property owner could be the apartment building owner and the building manager could also be found negligent. Sometimes a person keeps a dog knowing full well that it is poorly-trained and tends to attack certain people – perhaps children in general, or anyone who attempts to pet it. Liability may also be ascribed to a person who was in charge of the dog at the time of the dog bite. That could be a dog sitter or trainer or anyone who was walking the dog.

Click here to read about a local pit bull attack on a 7 year old


How to Proceed with Your Claim

When you consult with The Yost Legal Group about your concerns, we will give you specific information for your case such as:

  • Your legal rights as a dog bite victim
  • How we can represent an injured child
  • How Landlords and Homeowner Associations can be liable for dog bites
  • What kind of compensation is available to you for emotional and physical injuries

The injuries from a dog bite or animal attack can be severe and life altering. The damage can range from broken and fractured bones to significant scarring and deformities. It is not uncommon for the victim to be left with such great physical injuries that plastic surgery is required. However, even that may not fully repair the damage.

For more information, see Questions About Dog Bites.

If you have suffered from an attack by a dog, contact the Yost Legal Group for a dog bite injury consultation. As a victim of someone else’s negligence, you have the right to compensation for your injuries.

Free consultation: Call 1-800-YOST LAW or complete the contact form below to learn more about how we can help.