If what you thought would be a nice stroll around a sun-drenched park on a Sunday afternoon turns into a traumatic event for you or your child after being bitten by a dog, there may be something you can do about it. Unfortunately, dog bites can happen when dogs escape their owners or when owners do not take the required measures to ensure the safety of those around them. Animals, including dogs, can be unpredictable in terms of their behavior and a dog bite or attack may occur “out of the blue” when it was unanticipated by anyone, including the owner.
What’s important to note is that if you have been bitten by a dog, Tacoma Injury Law Group can help you obtain the compensation you deserve and we will help you through the claims process.
Who Can I Claim Against?
Dog bites usually result from negligence of the dog’s owner. The owner may not take precautions such as having the dog on a leash; the dog may have escaped due to an owner forgetting to close a gate or the dog may not have been wearing a dog muzzle when the owner is aware of the risk their pet poses to others.
Under Washington law, the owner of any dog that bites a person while such person is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place (including the property of the owner of such dog), is strictly liable to the bite victim for injuries and damages sustained by the bite victim, regardless of whether or not the dog has shown prior aggressive behavior or whether the owner was aware of such prior aggressive behavior. While this is a general rule of law in Washington, there are many dog bite cases that necessitate an experienced attorney’s legal analysis of the exceptions to the general rule and the common law precedents that have been set by Washington courts on the issue of liability for dog attacks.
If you intend to bring a claim for a dog bite, in order to understand who you can claim against, it is always best to speak with an experienced attorney in dog bite cases, such as the attorneys at Tacoma Injury Law Group.
Contact Tacoma Injury Law Group After an Incident with a Dog
Have you or a loved one recently suffered from a dog bite or even an attack by another animal? If so, we invite you to contact our team at Tacoma Injury Law Group. We have a stellar reputation for helping dog bite victims claim the compensation they deserve and have already helped many other victims overcome these incidents through Washington State law.