Dog bites and other animal-related injuries can leave victims with uniquely damaging problems such as infection, disfigurement, and long-term complications. Even if you fully recover from your injuries, the trauma from the attack can linger. Do not think that because an animal caused your injuries, you have no recourse.
An Albany dog bites lawyer can help you pursue compensation against the animal’s owner, helping you pay your bills and find some closure. The team at Bader Scott Injury Lawyers can explain more during your free consultation, so call today at (404) 888-8888.
A False Sense of Security
While you may be aware of the risks you take when hiking in a dangerous area with wild animals, you do not expect to face danger while walking around your neighborhood, visiting a friend, or strolling in the park. Yet these are typically the locations when a dog bite can happen and may be where you experienced your attack in Albany. This could be your own home or a friend or neighbor’s house, perhaps even involving a dog you have known for years.
Among the locations in which dog bites could occur are:
- Parks and hiking trails
- Neighborhoods
- Private homes
- Pet stores
- Dog-friendly businesses
Where the bite happened has little bearing on your ability to pursue compensation from the liable party. The important aspects of a bite claim relate only to the dog and the owner.
For a free legal consultation with a dog bite lawyer serving Albany, call (404) 888-8888
Albany Dog Bite FAQs
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According to O.C.G.A. § 51-2-7, the owner of the animal that bit you can be held liable for your injuries, as long as you did not provoke the dog.
For instance, if you were walking in a park, and an off-leash dog ran up to you and bit you, the owner may be liable for letting the dog “go at liberty.” However, if the owner had the dog on a leash and you approached it and goaded it, prompting it to bite, the owner is not responsible, as you provoked the dog to action.
Georgia’s laws further clarify that a dog may be deemed vicious if it was unrestrained or not “at heel.” In other words, if a dog is wandering around and bites you, the very fact that it was wandering around is, in the law’s eyes, enough to prove its danger.
More Than Bites
Not all animal injuries are bites, and Georgia’s law does not specify bites as the only grounds for holding an owner liable. A pet could ram into you, resulting in soft tissue injuries or even broken bones, all without exposing their teeth. If the dog was not properly restrained, you could seek compensation for those injuries. Some eligible scenarios for pursuing compensation may include:
- Falls
- Scratches
- Impact injuries
To better understand if your injuries qualify for an animal attack personal injury suit, an Albany dog bites lawyer can evaluate your specific case and determine your eligibility. Contact Bader Scott Injury Lawyers today to learn more at (404) 888-8888.
When Other Animals Cause Injury
Georgia’s law also allows for suits relating to more than dog bites. Dogs are not mentioned by name in the statute, meaning the owner of other animals can be held responsible for the injuries they cause. Exceptions are domesticated fowl and livestock.
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Dog Bite Victims
Just as dog bites can happen anywhere, they can also happen to anyone. Children can be especially at risk for sustaining injuries from dogs. However, anyone who suffers from an animal attack can face serious and painful injuries requiring time and money to heal.
It Starts with a Bite
No dog bite is just a dog bite. Depending on how the attack occurred and what kind of dog or animal caused the bite, a victim could face:
- Bruises
- Broken bones
- Rabies
- Tetanus
- Other infections
- Disfiguring injuries
- Torn soft tissue
- Nerve damage
- Loss of limbs
In particular, dogs can transmit bacteria called Capnocytophaga to humans through a bite. Signs of this infection can take up to two weeks before manifesting, sometimes leading to heart attack, kidney failure, gangrene, and limb amputation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Other dog bite injuries could require emergency care, surgery, prescription medication, and costly treatments. Even treating bruises and soft tissue injuries may involve physical therapy and time away from work. You could seek compensation for all of these expenses.
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What Your Animal Bite Attorney Can Do for You
Your Albany animal attack attorney can help you pursue compensation that may not only recoup the costs of medical procedures and bills but also wages you lost while missing work to recuperate, medical equipment needed to aid in your recovery, and psychological therapy to help you work through any trauma you have experienced.
Personal injury claims seek to right a wrong. You would not have experienced any of these circumstances if that owner had properly restrained or monitored their dog. Pursuing justice in your case means you could seek compensation for anything related to the injury, medically and financially. You may also be able to seek compensation for expenses from the past or the future.
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You Have Options Following a Dog Bite
You cannot sue an animal, but you may be able to hold an animal’s owner responsible for how their pet behaved. If you were injured by a dog bite or suffered injuries caused by another animal, contact the office of Bader Scott Injury Lawyers today to learn how to hold the owner liable for their negligence.
An Albany dog bites lawyer can use Georgia’s animal bite law to pursue compensation on your behalf. The statute of limitations is two years from the date of the accident, according to O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. This means you have two years to begin your injury claim.
Call us today for a free case evaluation and to get started now at (404) 888-8888.
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