Dog Bites and Animal Attacks in Jacksonville

Are you the victim of a dog bite? A lawyer in Florida can help you receive compensation for your injuries and suffering if you did not provoke the attack. In Florida, a dog bite lawsuit allows victims of dog attacks to force the dog’s owner to pay for medical costs, loss of income, pain and other damages experienced because of the attack. Dog owners are required to ensure other people are safe from their dog under lawful circumstances. Even if you’re on the owner’s property, they are still liable for the attack as long as you are on the property lawfully. (Find more information about injuries occurring on someone’s property here: Premises Liability information from Brett Hastings, your dog bite lawyer in Florida)

More than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs every year in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About 800,000 of those attacks require medical treatment, and in 386,000 of those cases the victim requires a trip to a hospital emergency department. Florida law holds dog owners liable for injuries and damages caused by their dog in almost all cases. Some local laws also hold caretakers of the dog, such as someone hired to walk the dog, liable for damages caused while the dog was in their care.

There are only two circumstances that can reduce or eliminate the owner’s liability:

The victim deliberately provoked the dog through their actions, such as teasing or striking the dog
The victim was unlawfully on the property where the dog is kept, such as someone trespassing with intent to burglarize or cause harm or damage

If either of these circumstances applies, the dog’s owner may be held liable for less than the full damages or not held liable at all. For example, the owner of a guard dog that attacked a would-be burglar who climbed over a fence to get onto the property would probably not be held liable for damages, especially if in compliance with all dog control laws. However, a dog owner might be held liable for part of the damages if the dog attacked someone taking a short cut through the property. Even though the victim was trespassing, lack of a fence or posted warnings could be seen as negligence on part of the dog owner. Your dog bite lawyer in Florida can clarify this for you if it applies to your case.

In any case, if the victim in a dog bite lawsuit is a child under six years old, the victim cannot be held liable for the attack under any circumstances-even if the child was without invitation on the dog owner’s premises, liability falls to the dog owner. It may be possible that the child’s parents can be held partly liable for failure to supervise the child properly.

Dog owners can also be liable for damages to other pets and domestic animals if the owner failed to adhere to all state and local dog control requirements. For example, if a dog chases your cat down the street and mauls it to death, the dog’s owner can be held liable for failure to control the dog. But if the cat gets attacked while crossing the yard in which a dog is properly leashed and controlled, the dog owner will not be liable.