Were you attacked by a dog and need legal help? Read the answers to our commonly asked dog bite questions, then call our Oklahoma lawyers now.
What questions should I ask the dog owner after a bite?
If you are bitten by a dog, even if it’s just a minor bit, but it breaks the flesh, you need to ask the dog owner, “Is your dog current on his vaccinations?” If they says yes, tell them, “Who is the veterinarian who did it, so I can check that. ”You don’t want to take anyone’s word on this because if the dog bite goes too long undetected, and there weren’t really vaccines there, or they’ve expired, it could cause you a lot of serious health problems.
Is the dog owner responsible for the attack?
Can anyone other than a dog owner be responsible for a dog bite case? That’s fact specific. Let’s say that you have a family friend who intentionally makes a dog mean, continually abuses the dog, continually provokes the dog, and then lets the dog out in an agitated state, and he comes and bites you. I believe that the family friend and the homeowner would both be responsible for any injuries caused by this dog, but it is case specific. That’s something you would have to hire an attorney to do an investigation for, and preserve the evidence to make that determination.
Can I file a claim if the dog owner doesn’t have insurance?
One of the most common problems I have is that people who rent apartments have dogs and these dogs bite people. Most of the time, there’s no insurance that covers a dog bite if you don’t own your home. Most of the time, there’s not insurance to cover dog bites for people. The counsel I normally give to people is that you can turn it over to your health insurance to pay for your medical bills. You can check with your homeowners insurance and see if it will cover a dog bite somewhere else. You can also check with your car insurance to see if they will cover any type of injuries you sustain from a dog bite. It’s tough. There’s no set answer. Every insurance company’s contract is different. I would suggest you contact an attorney to make sure you exhaust all possible avenues, so you can get your medical bills paid and any pain and suffering paid for.
Does a beware of dog sign hurt my claim?
What happens if a dog owner has a beware of dog on its fence that leads to his home? What do you do? Let’s say that you decide you want to go there anyway to see the owner and you’re bitten by a dog. If you are bitten by a dog when you saw the beware of dog sign, does that hurt your claim? Does that prohibit you from making a claim? What I would submit to you is fact specific. If this homeowner knew this dog was dangerous, it has bit other people before, and they didn’t make any efforts to restrain the dog in their yard when they knew people would be coming in to deliver things, to see them, or their family members would come to their house, I think they could be responsible. I think it would be a case we would want to submit to a focus group. Have them to determine what they thought was the appropriate amount of responsibility to place with each party.
Were you or a loved one seriously injured after being attacked by a dog and have questions? After reading the answers to our commonly asked dog bite questions, contact a Stillwater dog bite attorney at Murray Law Firm today for a free confidential consultation and case evaluation. Let our experience work for you.
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