Dog Bite Injury Attorney in New Jersey
While dogs are generally loveable creatures, they can also bite, and the injuries they cause can be hazardous. Dog bites are prone to infection, and because canine teeth tend to rip and tear the flesh rather than slice through it cleanly, dog bites are associated with protracted healing periods and severe scarring. If you or a loved one is bitten by a dog, consulting with an experienced dog bite injury attorney in New Jersey is always advised.
New Jersey Employs Strict Liability for Dog Owners
The State of New Jersey takes dog bites seriously, and in response, they impose strict legal liability. This means that if a dog bites you, the dog’s owner can be held legally responsible for your physical, financial, and emotional losses if you didn’t purposefully provoke the attack and one of the following applies:
- You were on public property or in a public place.
- You were lawfully on private property or in a private place, including the dog’s owner’s property.
While some states have what are often called one-bite laws on the books, New Jersey isn’t one of them. If a dog bites you, its owner can be held responsible even if the animal gave no prior indication of aggressive behavior. The legal damages – or losses – associated with dog bites are so serious that working closely with a resourceful dog bite attorney from the start is in your best interest.
215-874-8553 If a Bite Didn’t Cause Your Injuries
Bites don’t always cause dog-related injuries. If a dog knocks you down or causes you to crash your bike, for example, you can seek compensation based on the pet owner’s negligence if you can prove each of the following elements:
The dog owner is responsible for controlling the animal
That the owner breached this responsibility, such as using a leash if the dog is even-tempered or using more restrictions for a dog with a prior history of attack.
The owner’s negligence led to the injury-causing incident
You suffered losses that are covered by the law
Your Legal Damages
Obtaining fair compensation for each category of loss you experience because of a dog attack is critical to your ability to regain your health and well-being. Covered losses include:
- Your medical bills, which can be extensive and are likely to stretch into the future
- Your lost income, which could include lost earning power
- Your physical and emotional pain and suffering, which – following a terrifying dog attack – can be difficult to overstate
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215-874-8553