Dog bite attacks have the potential to cause serious injuries and, in the most tragic cases, can even lead to the death of the victim. As well as the physical injuries, dog bite attacks can also leave victims with long-lasting mental trauma that may never heal.
If you, or someone you love has been the victim of a dog bite attack, you may be facing expensive medical bills for the treatment of the bite wounds. The recovery time from a dog bite attack can be long, and this means you may have to take time off work for treatment and reconstructive surgery.
Nobody should have to be left financially insecure as a result of a dog bite attack, and fortunately, with the help of a skilled Oklahoma City dog bite lawyer, you may be able to pursue the recovery of all your damages and seek compensation for the pain, mental suffering and emotional distress you have been put through as a result.
Are you ready to file suit against the dog owner that is responsible for your injuries? Then please reach out to our Oklahoma City law firm as soon as possible to begin the legal process.
OKC Injury Lawyer, LLC – Fierce Advocacy, Reliable Representation
Here at OKC Injury Lawyer, LLC, we understand how stressful and distressing this period must be, and we are ready to help. We have handled countless dog bite attack cases in the past, working with dog-bite victims to pursue justice and compensation. Together with our help, we can pursue the maximum amount of compensation that may be on offer to you, pursuing negligent property owners or anyone else who may share some responsibility for what happened.
We offer a free consultation to all victims of personal injury, and this includes dog bites. In this meeting, you can ask us any important questions you may have and a dedicated attorney will listen compassionately to your story. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t have to pay for our representation until the point we win your settlement. If we lose your case, you will not owe us a penny.
What Can an Oklahoma City Dog Bite Lawyer Do for Me?
Due to their very nature, a dog bite attack can leave victims with injuries that can be life-threatening. Even if the injuries are not life-threatening, there is a good chance that a dog attack will leave victims with the need for reconstructive surgery and in a lot of pain.
When children are involved, the potential for dog attacks to be fatal increases massively. The death of a child can destroy families, leaving loved ones of the deceased with emotional distress and trauma that never truly heals. No parents should have to deal with the wrongful death of their children because of an aggressive dog and their negligent owner.
Serious dog bite injuries are on the rise and as Oklahoma dog bite lawyers, we are ready to throw the entirety of our many years of experience into fighting your case and seeking your justice.
We have a fierce reputation and if you wish to pursue a dog bite injury claim, here is how we will help:
To begin with, we have access to a wide variety of support resources. This means we can put a support network in place to help you and your family navigate the emotional distress you are going through and the trauma you have suffered.
Once we have ensured you have your support, we will conduct a full-blown investigation, utilizing every resource we have to get to the bottom of the attack that led to your injuries or the death of your loved one.
As we build your case, we may bring in our network of expert witnesses, such as medical experts, animal experts, and anyone else we deem necessary. This will add weight and expert testimonials to your case.
Often, the other party and their insurance company may go on the offensive, and may attempt to shift the blame of the attack to you, or your loved one. This is often the case in tragic child attacks, as the child may not be able to vocalize or defend themselves against the lies.
We will take over all of the paperwork and liaise with all parties. This means you won’t have to speak to anyone, and if they call you, or attempt to get in touch, you can just send them our way, and we will handle it.
One of your attorneys will calculate your damages on your behalf. Ensuring that every penny of your economic damages is accounted for and accurately judging what your pain and suffering should be valued at in any compensatory sum.
We will then begin negotiations with the other party. We are skilled negotiators, and we know how to handle insurance companies. This means there is a good chance we will negotiate a fair and reasonable settlement.
If the other party refuses to co-operate or accept fault, don’t worry, we are as skilled in litigation as we are in negotiation, meaning we are fully prepared to fight your case in a courtroom if necessary.
It all starts with a free consultation. Don’t go through this alone; secure legal representation from one of our team and rest a little easier, knowing you have a fierce advocate fighting on your behalf.
Dog Bite Law in Oklahoma City, OK
When it comes to a dog bite lawsuit, you are going to need to establish liability.
The majority of dogs are loving and gentle, and when they are kept by loving owners, they pose no threat to anyone.
However, a small percentage of people mistreat and abuse their dogs, leaving them unsupervised and, in the worst cases, encouraging aggressive behavior. If it is found that the dog owner owes some legal obligation to the victim, a duty of care, then that party may be held financially accountable.
There are two different ways that liability may be established in a dog bite attack case in Oklahoma, negligence and strict liability.
Strict Liability Cases
If the dog bite victim was lawfully present on a person’s property when their dog attacked the victim, then they are automatically held liable in Oklahoma state. This is known as strict liability and falls under section 4-42.1 of the Oklahoma statutes.
According to Oklahoma law:
“The owner or owners of any dog shall be liable for damages to the full amount of any damages sustained when his dog, without provocation, bites or injures any person while such person is in or on a place where he has a lawful right to be.”
This means it is important to first understand what lawfully present means in the eyes of the law. Usually, a dog bite attorney will look to see if the victim was invited onto the property by the owner, working on the property at the owner’s request, delivering mail to the property, reading any gas or electric meters, or repairing a public utility.
Private property owners often owe a duty of care to visitors to their property, and this usually means they should take all necessary measures to fix hazards or warn about hazards if they have knowledge of those hazards. This includes dogs that may bite.
Negligence Cases
It is not just the owners of the dogs that can be found liable in a dog bite attack. Any person who owed a duty of care to the victim of the attack may be found negligent. When it comes to negligence cases, there are four important elements that need to be proven.
The first element is that the victim was owed a duty of care, which is a legal obligation to act in a way that protects them from harm.
The second element is that the person who owed you this duty of care, breached it by acting in a way that was unreasonable. If another person under the same circumstances would have not acted in the same way, it is unreasonable behavior.
Third, by breaching the duty of care, an accident happened that directly caused injuries to the victim.
Lastly, those injuries have left the dog bite injury victim with economic and non-economic damages.
This means that anyone who owed you a duty of care can be held responsible. Dog bite attack cases may be raised against your landlord, your manager, a government agency, property owner or business owner. Anyone that may owe a duty of care.
What Injuries Can be Caused by Dog Bites
There are multiple injuries that may result from a dog bite attack. Depending on the size of the dog and the manner of the attack, most individuals in a serious dog bite attack will need immediate emergency help and will have to be seen in the emergency room.
Dog bite attacks may lead to tearing or lacerations of the skin. These cuts have the potential to leave a victim with serious blood loss, scarring, and nerve damage. Another serious consideration is that the bites can quickly and easily get infected, and while rabies is extremely rare, there are still cases in the U.S each and every year.
Dogs with strong bite pressure can even cause fractured bones, especially in younger victims or older victims.
An attack by an animal has the potential to cause serious damage to the human body. As such, it is little surprise that individuals who are bitten by dogs often report to the hospital or emergency department with severe, sometimes life-threatening, injuries.
The injuries from a dog bite may leave the victim with life-long disfigurement, requiring numerous reconstructive surgeries.
While some minor dog cases may simply require the victim to have some stitches and some antibiotics, some require life-long medical treatment, rehabilitation, and therapy for the trauma.
How is the Value of my Compensation Calculated
The compensation you receive if your dog bite injury case is successful will always depend upon the severity of your injuries and the pain and suffering you have been through.
To begin, your attorney will need to calculate what your damages equate to, both economic and non-economic. Your economic damages are the ones that cost you money, and your non-economic damages are the compensation for your pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
Usually, your attorney will calculate your economic damages first, such as lost wages and medical bills. Once they have a total figure for your economic damages, they may choose to apply a multiplier to it, depending on your pain and suffering in order to calculate your non-economic damages.
Lifelong treatment and pain, may result in a 5x multiplier, a simple bite with stitches may be a 2x multiplier. Each attorney will have their own system, and this is why it is important to choose an attorney with experience handling cases like yours before.
What are the Damages That Dog Bite Injury Victims Can Recover?
Medical Expenses
In a successful case, you will be able to recover all of your medical expenses. This includes all of the expenses you have had to pay already, and should include your future expenses too. If you are going to require long-term treatment, we will speak to medical experts so we can gauge what this will look like so we can pursue a sum large enough to cover your future medical bills.
Lost Wages
You should not have to suffer from lost wages as a result of a dog bite attack. Your attorney will work to recover all of your lost wages.
Loss of Future Earning Capacity
If your injuries mean you will need time off work in the future or, worse, can never return to work in the same capacity, your attorney will work with financial experts to understand what this may cost you in your lifetime. They can then pursue this in your settlement.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life
If the dog bite attack has left you with physical injuries that mean you can no longer take part in hobbies or do things you enjoy, you should be compensated. This includes mental trauma, such as no longer being able to go to the park as you are scared of the dogs there.
Pain and Suffering
The pain and the emotional trauma the attack has caused you should be compensated and this is what your pain and suffering damages should cover.
Dog Bite Injury Lawsuit Time Limit – Statute of Limitations
Under the statute of limitations for personal injury, you have two years from the date of the attack to make a claim. After this point, it will no longer be valid.
However, the state makes an exception for any children who have been attacked under the age of 18; individuals are not allowed to file lawsuits. In these cases, you must wait until your 18th birthday, and then the time limit starts from this point onwards.
Contact us for a Free Case Evaluation Today!
Here at Oklahoma Injury Lawyer, we have helped countless victims pursue the justice they deserve. We know how traumatic a dog bite incident can be and we are standing by and ready to help you hold those responsible accountable.