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The laws in Massachusetts are very specific when it comes to dog bites and dog attacks. Here’s what the law says: The owner or keeper of a dog is strictly liable for personal injuries, scarring, and wrongful death caused by a dog bite or dog attack. Now, in the court of law, it will be necessary to prove the defendant was the owner or keeper of the dog. It is not necessary to prove that the dog caused personal injury before, or that the dog is vicious. You will have to show that you were not tormenting the dog, teasing the dog, and ensure no trespassing was involved in the personal injury.
Something important to note, if a young child has been injured, it’s presumed that the child was not teasing or tormenting the dog.
In a large portion of cases, most dog bite, dog attack, and other animal bite injuries are covered by homeowner’s insurance. In the state of Massachusetts, homeowner’s insurance covers liability (bodily injury) and may provide coverage for medical payments to the person injured by the dog bite or dog attack.
If you or your child has been injured, it is important to consult a lawyer who is experienced in handling dog bite cases in Massachusetts.
Injuries Caused By Dog Bites And Dog Attacks
Dog bites and dog attacks can cause serious personal injuries to victims. Dog bites can cause a number of different injuries:
Scarring
Brusing
Lacerations
Torn muscles
Torn ligaments
Psychological trauma
The majority of dog bites on children are on the face, likely because children are smaller than adults. For young children and adults, psychological injuries caused by a dog bite or dog attack can often be permanent.
If a dog attacks a bicyclist or a pedestrian, other personal injuries may result from being knocked to the ground, including broke bones or dislocations.
Common Questions About Dog Bites And Dog Attacks
What should I do if I get bitten by a dog?
Under the law in the state of Massachusetts, you may have the right to file a claim against the owner or the keeper of a dog that bites or injures you. To file a claim, it’s not required that the dog actually bites you. Rather, if the dog causes an injury such as a trip and fall, bicycle or motorcycle accident or other injury without even touching you, you may still have a right to file a claim.
If you have a smartphone, taking videos and images can be helpful. Take photos of the dog in question, images of your injuries, and any other proof you can obtain.
What should I do after I get bit by a dog?
If you do get bit by a dog, you should immediately seek medical treatment. You’ll want to make sure that the dog has up-to-date shots as that can affect how you get treated. Due to this, if you can find out who the owner is, you’ll want to ask them about the dog, especially the vaccination status of the dog in question. We’d also recommend keeping all your records during the process.
Does the dog have to bite me?
While the majority of animal attack cases involve bites, there is no specific requirement that says you have to be bitten by the animal to file a claim. Since the state of Massachusetts is popular for bicycling, we can use that in our example. A man is riding his bike down the road when a dog comes rushing in and causes him to swerve right in front of a vehicle. In this case, the man wasn’t bit by the dog but the dog still caused his personal injury.
Let’s use another example. A woman is out jogging when an aggressive dog begins to chase her. The woman looks back, notices the dog but she slips and falls to the ground. In both cases, the owner will be strictly liable for the injury resulting from the dog’s conduct.
What happens if the owner of the dog has no insurance?
In the majority of most cases, if a dog owner owns a home, it’s highly likely the owner has homeowner's insurance coverage. However, many insurance companies recently adopted exclusions in their policies for injuries caused by a dog. If there is no insurance or if there is an exclusion for injuries caused by dogs, then the only recourse will be to pursue the owner of the dog individually.
How much would a dog attack claim be worth?
While a lot of people ask how much their claim is worth, it’s near impossible to give you a close estimate. Just like with what we see on other personal injury claims, the value of your dog bite or dog injury claim depends on a wide range of different factors, including the severity of your physical injury, the duration of your symptoms, any scarring or disfigurement that results and finally any impairment to any activities of daily living which you may experience.
How long will it take me to retain a recovery from my dog bite or injury case?
The length of time it takes to recover varies on a case-by-case basis. The biggest factor to obtain recovery is your injuries and how long it’s going to take you to heal from those injuries. With that being said, an experienced dog attack attorney knows you shouldn’t attempt to settle a case until a medical end result can be reached. In other words, you want to make sure you return to normal as it’s possible you can have long-lasting issues from the result of your dog attack accident.
You can’t make that decision for yourself, rather, it must be determined by the doctors who treat your injuries. Once all of your injuries are healed, your lawyer will then attempt to settle your case with the insurance company or owner of the dog.
Call Our Dog Bite And dog attack Lawyers in woburn For Help
If you’ve been attacked or bitten by a dog, don’t hesitate to reach out and learn how we can help. Let the experienced legal team at Fanuel Law Group help. It cost absolutely nothing to reach out and get your consultation.
You can reach our Woburn law firm by calling 617-939-9894. We’ll do everything we can to get the money you deserve.