Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Dog bite personal injury claims arise when a dog owner fails to adequately protect others from being bitten or attacked by their dog. Usually a dog bite results in severe and permanent injuries, scarring, and even disfigurement in the severe dog bite personal injury cases. Because the damages are often severe, it is always best to consult a dog bite personal injury lawyer to represent you in these cases to increase your chances of successfully proving liability and damages. In this way dog bite victims stand the best chance to be fully compensated for their dog bite personal injury cases for their past and future medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and property damage.

A Cobb County dog bite case (Q.S., a minor v. Ismael Hernandez and Maria Hernandez - Case Number: 2005A-6165) involved a young girl that was chased by an allegedly aggressive Rottweiler dog while she was driving an all terrain vehicle (ATV) in July of 2003. In her attempt to flee from the dog, she drove the ATV over a ravine and into the neighbors' yard. The young girl sustained a laceration that required stitches to the leg and the ATV was a total loss.

Liability for dog bite cases or dog attack cases require the plaintiff to prove that the dog owners were negligent. In this case this negligence involved the dog owners allowing their dog to room free in the neighborhood rather than being fenced in or on a leash. Further the dog attack victim alleged that the Rottweiler dog was known to be aggressive and that Animal Control had been called repeatedly since the dog was allowed to roam free and terrorize the neighborhood.

Great Cobb County dog bite attorneys would agree with the approach of the attorneys in this case who sought compensation for the medical bills, pain and suffering, scarring, and for the property damage for the totaled ATV. The defendant dog owners disputed all allegations regarding liability and damages. A Cobb County judge awarded the dog bite / dog attack victims $12,686 which was based on $10,000 in non-economic (pain and suffering) damages and $2686 to the parents for medical expenses and damage to the ATV.

This case was unusual because the damages resulted not from the dog biting the plaintiff, but from injuries the plaintiff sustained when she crashed her ATV in her attempt to flee the dog that was chasing her.

Because the facts of each dog bite case are different, it is very important to hire a seasoned and trained dog bite attorney. Many times the defense will argue one of the following defenses:

(1) The dog was properly restrained on a leash or fence at the time of the attack.
(2) The dog had never bitten anyone in the past (Georgia one free bite defense).
(3) The dog was provoked by the unreasonable behavior of the victim of the dog bite.

The dog bite attorneys at The Griffin Law Firm, P.C. have had great success handling dog bite cases. Our dog bite lawyers usually can overcome the common defenses that are raised in Georgia dog bite cases which greatly increases your chances of obtaining a dog bite personal injury settlement that fully compensates you for your losses. Submit your case to our attorneys at: Free Settlement Evaluation or call us at 866-847-6545.