Hartford Dog Bite Lawyer
Successfully Resolving Dog Bite Cases in Connecticut for 15+ Years
Have you been injured in a serious Dog Bite accident?
Contact The Law Office of Michael L. Chambers, Jr. today for help.
Hartford Dog Bite Lawyer
When a vicious dog attacks a person, the person can suffer serious wounds and other injuries. In addition to bite marks and puncture wounds, the victim can suffer an infection or other serious condition that requires immediate and possibly ongoing medical treatment.
If you or a person you love suffered an injury because of a dog bite, you have legal options that are available to you. Many homeowner insurance policies cover dog bites, and you might be eligible to file a claim against the dog owner’s policy, seeking the monetary compensation and damages that you deserve for your injuries.
A Hartford dog bite lawyer from Michael L. Chambers, Jr., Attorney at Law, is experienced at successfully settling and litigating dog bite cases in and around the Hartford, CT, region. We can meet with you to discuss the circumstances that led to your dog bite incident and can assist you with filing a claim for monetary compensation and damages. Please speak with us today to learn more about how we can help with filing your dog bite insurance claim or lawsuit.
Types of Dog Bite Injuries
When a dog bites a person, the person can suffer significant injuries and damages—some of which might end up being permanent. Dog bites can have an especially profound long-term impact on children, who are prone to suffering permanent disfigurement from dog attacks.
Some of the most common injuries that can happen when a vicious dog bites a person include:
- Deep cuts, welts, abrasions, and scrapes
- Bite mark wounds from the dog’s teeth
- Puncture wounds on the bite victim’s skin
In addition to initial bite injuries, a vicious dog can inflict other injuries on a person by knocking the person down or tearing through the skin and affecting other tissue.
Those types of injuries can include:
- Traumatic head injuries
- Soft tissue tears
- Broken bones
- Infections
All of these injuries may require extensive and costly medical treatment.
Medical treatment following a dog bite might involve:
- Emergency room treatment
- Professional wound cleaning
- Hospitalization
- Surgical repair
- Stitches to allow the lacerations to heal
- Physical therapy
If you are unsure whether the dog had its rabies vaccine, a victim might have to undergo the extensive, painful, and costly process of rabies vaccination, which must begin immediately after the bite occurred. If someone contracts rabies, it is likely to kill.
If you have suffered any of these injuries as a result of a dog bite or attack, you might be eligible to recover monetary compensation for all of your injuries. A Hartford dog bite lawyer from Michael L. Chambers, Jr., Attorney at Law, can review your legal options with you and help you decide on the best route to move your dog bite case forward favorably.
Strict Liability Laws in Connecticut Dog Bite Cases
When it comes to dog bite incidents that occur in Connecticut, the law of strict liability applies. This means that unless a person was trespassing on the dog owner’s land or provoking the dog in some way, the dog owner is automatically liable for injuries caused by his or her dog. This is true even if the dog had never bitten or attacked anyone in the past—and even if the dog was not known to exhibit vicious or dangerous propensities toward others.
Legal Elements of Proof in a Connecticut Dog Bite Case
Victims of dog bites that occur in Connecticut have the legal burden of proof. This means that they must establish the legal elements of their claim to recover monetary compensation and damages for their injuries. As part of a strict liability claim, the bite victim does not need to prove fault—or negligence—on the part of the dog owner. Rather, the bite victim need only have been injured, not trespassing, and not abusing, tormenting, or teasing the dog at the time when the dog bite incident occurred.
Victims of dog bites may be eligible to recover various types of monetary compensation and damages.
The damages that a bite victim will be allowed to recover will depend upon certain factors, including:
- The nature and extent of the injuries the bite victim sustained as a result of the dog attack
- The cost and extent of the medical treatment that the bite victim underwent due to the dog bite injury
- Whether the bite victim suffered a permanent injury that is expected to impact him or her for the rest of the victim’s lifetime
- Whether the victim has suffered any scarring or other residual effects from the bite injury
Types of monetary compensation that a dog bite victim might be eligible to recover include:
- Compensation for related medical bills, lost wages, and similar out-of-pocket losses
- Compensation for related inconvenience and pain and suffering
- Compensation for loss of earning capacity
- Compensation for permanency
- Compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other types of diagnosable mental distress
- Compensation for permanent loss of the ability to use a specific body part
The legal team of Michael L. Chambers, Jr., Attorney at Law, will do everything possible to advocate for you and maximize the amount of monetary compensation that you can recover in your dog bite case.
Statute of Limitations Applicable to Connecticut Dog Bite Cases
Victims of dog bites do not have an unlimited time in which to file a claim or lawsuit against the dog owner and/or the dog owner’s insurance company. In Connecticut, bite victims have two years, starting on the date of their injury, in which to file. If the bite victim does not file a claim/lawsuit within that deadline, then he or she cannot recover damages for his/her injuries at any point in the future.
Our law firm will ensure to file your insurance claim or lawsuit promptly and efficiently, safeguarding your ability to recover the damages that you need.
Speak With an Experienced Hartford Dog Bite Lawyer Today About Your Dog Bite Injuries
Attorney Michael L. Chambers, Jr. is ready to assist you with your dog bite case from beginning to end. For a free legal consultation and case evaluation with a knowledgeable Hartford dog bite attorney, please call us today at (860) 231-9535 or contact us online for more information about how we can help.
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