Dog Bite Attorneys

One of the most common personal injury cases involves dog bite claims. Each year, over 4.5 million people suffer from dog bites, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Of these cases, around 8,000,000 victims require medical care. The bites can range from a minor injury to something permanently disfiguring that could affect you for the rest of your life. Our legal team at The Eichholz Law Firm has experience seeking justice for victims who have sustained injuries from dog bites. In order to protect the rights of our clients and firmly establish liability, we begin our investigations immediately.

We remove our clients from the line of fire by personally dealing with the owner’s insurance company and its lawyers, which forces them to work with legal representatives who understand what we are doing. If you have experienced trauma due to an animal attack, you should contact our attorneys right away so we can discuss your legal options, and set a process in motion to help you receive compensation for your injuries.

The Eichholz Law Firm has years of experience in handling dog bite lawsuits. Our legal team has helped countless victims receive compensation for their injuries. If you are looking to file a dog bite lawsuit for damages, contact us at (855) 551-1019, or fill out a free, no-obligation contact form.

If dogs are provoked, they can bite no matter what gender or size they are. When a dog becomes stressed, is trying to protect its owner, or is defending its territory, biting is a natural response for them. Dogs could also bite a person for other reasons including:

• Pain-induced hostility
• Maternal hostility
• Fear hostility
• Protecting valuables
• Dominance hostility

Workers who need to enter homes or be present on private property to perform their duties, including home construction workers, plumbers, and delivery men, have an “implied invitation” to be there. During work hours if an employee is bitten by a dog on private property, they are eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits, which includes wage replacement and medical benefits.

Moreover, if an employee is bitten on the job, they may also be eligible to file a lawsuit against the dog owner if the owner isn’t their employer. The injured employee can request compensation for the suffering and pain they have endured, including other losses that workers’ compensation doesn’t cover when they file a claim against the dog owner.

Depending on the homeowners’ policy a dog owner has, there are some policies that cover legal liability expenses for dog bites up to the limits of the policy. The dog owner will need to accept responsibility for any damages above the limit of their insurance coverage if the claim exceeds the policy’s limits. An injured person can still file a case against the owner to receive compensation for damages regardless of whether the dog owner has homeowners insurance that covers dog bites. If a victim was bitten inside of a dog owner’s vehicle, their auto insurance may also cover the incident. Some pet insurance policies cover situations that stem from dog ownership, including dog bites.

Our firm will examine the declarations page of the dog owner’s insurance policy to determine what type of insurance coverage they have. If the policy limits do not appear to be sufficient, our team will figure out if there are any supplemental policies that might apply.

If the dog owner is difficult and refuses to offer us any proof of insurance coverage, our legal team will use the discovery phase to gain access to any necessary documents for examination. During this part of the lawsuit, attorneys from both sides must share and divulge any information they have with each other.

O.C.G.A. 51-2-7 is Georgia’s dog bite statute and can be found in the state’s code of laws. This statute covers injuries by other animals in addition to dog bites. Under the statute, in order to prove that a dog owner is responsible, the injured person must be able to show that they didn’t provoke the dog, the owner either let it “go at liberty” or was careless with the animal which caused the attack, or the animal was already dangerous or vicious to begin with.

Almost any kind of animal is covered under Georgia’s statute, including any type of animal behavior that causes an injury. When it comes to animal-related injuries such as dog bites, Georgia is a “negligence” state. In order for a victim to prove the accused is responsible for their injuries, they must be able to show that the animal’s owner knew that their pet was dangerous or vicious and failed to restrain the animal to protect other people from becoming harmed. Georgia’s leash ordinance could be used to prove that the dog had a vicious personality.

Some states have laws that say that dogs are not considered dangerous or vicious unless they have bitten someone else, and the owner was aware of their violent history. It is apparent that a dog is vicious if it bites another person. The owner could claim they never knew their dog was dangerous without that bite. Simply put, a dog owner is only responsible for damages a victim sustained from a bite after their second offense. If it is the dog’s first offense, you may not be able to claim any damages.

For this reason, Georgia implemented a modified “one bite rule.” As previously mentioned, if the dog owner already knew their dog was vicious or violent, then they could be held legally responsible for its actions.

Certain specifics about dog bites differ from state-to-state, but there are some common arguments that opposing attorneys will attempt to use to defend dog owners, including:

Contributory Negligence or Assumption of Risk: If a dog owner adequately warned the victim about their dog but they disregarded it, the owner could argue that the victim was partially to blame for their injuries. If argued successfully in a court of law, this point could either completely eliminate or reduce their ability to recover damages for their injuries.

Trespassing: Trespassers have some legal protections, but according to Georgia’s statutes regarding dog bites, the victim would be required to prove that the dog bite happened on public property. If this rule applies an injured victim will not be eligible to receive damages if the bite took place while they were trespassing.

Provocation: The dog owner could attempt to claim innocence by saying that the victim provoked the dog prior to the bite. Examples of provocation include backing a dog into a corner or poking one with a stick, and aggressively flailing one’s arms to provoke fear.

Our experienced attorneys at The Eichholz Law Firm can dismantle and refute an opposing attorney’s tactics, including the ones we mentioned above. Here are several types of damages a victim could recover in a dog bite case:

Punitive Damages

If a dog owner’s behavior is deemed reckless, a court of law could make them pay out an additional settlement known as punitive damages. This is intended to financially punish the owner, as well as make a strong statement that will prevent any similar behavior from happening in the future.

If a state uses a strict liability statute, you likely will not receive punitive damages. This statute holds a dog owner responsible for the bite regardless of how careless they are or what the dog’s history is.

Income Loss

Victims typically miss time from work due to medical diagnoses, doctor visits, hospitalization, treatment, rehabilitation, and recuperation. For these reasons, victims can receive compensation for any lost income. If the injury permanently affects a victim’s ability to perform their job, they could also receive compensation due to loss of earning capacity.

Pain & Suffering

Of course, animal bites cause lots of pain. The pain can be unbearable, depending on the severity of the attack. Dealing with ongoing medical procedures related to physical pain can be quite demanding.

Medical Expenses

There are a variety of medical expenses a dog bite victim could incur, including charges for ER, X-rays, physicians, technicians, medication, physical therapy, and psychologist visits. There may even be charges for intensive care or a hospital stay, depending on the severity of the attack.