Cowen Edwards Trial Lawyers represents dog bite accident victims in the Fort Lauderdale area. Our dog bite lawyers offer free consultations to all injured victims. Contact our offices to find out what your case may be worth and how to hold dog owners and insurance companies fully responsible for recovery costs.
Do I Need a Lawyer After I’ve Been Bitten By a Family Member’s Dog?
If you only see very minor injuries, like small cuts and bruises, after a dog bite, you may not need the help of a lawyer for your case. But when more serious injuries are involved, like a broken hand bone, you should speak with a skilled Fort Lauderdale Dog Bite Attorney about your case.
Your family member may want to help after the family dog bites you or your child, but in your injury claim you’ll be facing off against unhelpful homeowners insurance companies. These companies can try to limit the support you receive to pay your medical bills and may even try to blame you for what happened.
These are tactics all insurance companies use to get out of having to help victims, but your Cowen Edwards representative is a safeguard against this treatment. Your lawyer would collect powerful evidence that forces an insurance adjuster to turn over the maximum in injury compensation available.
Dog Bite Dangers at Family Get-Togethers and Parties
Dogs are valued members of the family in many Fort Lauderdale homes. Unfortunately, when they feel threatened or are afraid, it can trigger a protective response.
Dogs are often put in these confusing situations when guests come into their owners’ homes. Dog bite incidents often occur when people visit a family member’s house or a friend’s apartment. There may be many people over for a party and a dog owner may forget that a dog poses a bite threat while being exposed to so many people.
These common social situations might end in a painful dog bite. Victims may attempt to pet a dog or an aggressive dog may play too rough with a young child and an attack happens.
Victims may feel conflicted about holding a family member or a friend responsible, but victims can also quickly be flooded with medical bills with no way to cover them.
Who Is Responsible for a Dog Bite If I’m Hurt at a Friend’s Home?
Florida law follows the legal concept of “strict liability.” It means that dog owners are liable for the consequences of bite wounds, even if a dog has never shown aggression before. The argument that a dog had never bitten before isn’t an excuse a dog owner can hide behind.
Strict liability basically makes it much easier for victims to establish who is to blame for a dog bite and secure support.
The dog owner would almost always be financially responsible as long as the following were true:
- The dog bite victim didn’t provoke the dog beforehand.
- The victim wasn’t trespassing on private property.
Generally, when you go to a family member or friend’s house, you are invited in and aren’t trespassing.
Your lawyer would help you determine who was at fault and would then file a claim against the dog owner’s homeowners insurance provider. Then your Cowen Edwards dog bite lawyer would negotiate to get you the dog bite compensation you need to pay your immediate bills and for any care that may be necessary in the years ahead.
Should I Feel Bad for Filing a Dog Bite Accident Claim Against a Family Member?
No. Your dog bite claim will generally target the family member’s homeowners or renter’s insurance company, not the family member. You shouldn’t feel like a bad person for calling upon the dog owner’s insurer for help. You will need every bit of support to heal and rebuild your life, and that’s what insurance protection is for.
Your family member pays insurance premiums to protect against this kind of accident and to provide the support needed to victims so they can fully heal. Your family member will likely want you or your child to be able to pay for the best medical care available for the best chance at a full recovery.
You should also know, a claim wouldn’t usually involve a lawsuit or a trial. The vast majority of personal injury cases are resolved through an insurance settlement when the insurance provider realizes the blame rests with the dog owner. Your lawyer would be negotiating with insurance adjusters and not going after your friend or family member.
Help For Children Dog Bite Victims
Compensation for Fort Lauderdale Dog Bite Victims
Dog bite victims need to seek compensation that will cover every immediate bill, such as emergency room and ambulance fees, and every surgery and physical therapy session required in the months ahead.
These hardships and estimated costs would all have to be clearly documented in an injury claim. Anything left off is damage that insurance companies can ignore. Victims wouldn’t receive the full support they need and would have to pay for part of their recoveries out of pocket.
Your Cowen Edwards attorney would be demanding a settlement check that covered a few things you might not have known could earn additional support:
- Totals on current medical bills and estimates on the cost of care in the future.
- Money to pay for physical therapy treatment for victims to relearn how to walk or use their hands after nerve, tendon, and ligament damage.
- Long-term costs associated with a permanent physical disability.
- Pain and suffering. This includes the physical pain you endure and the emotional trauma you are put through due to a frightening dog attack.
- Loss of enjoyment of life as your injury forces you to give up hobbies and family activities.
- Travel costs as you must find ways to get to and from doctor appointments while you’re injured.
- Money for property damage.
- Income and benefits you’ve lost while missing work.
Contact a Fort Lauderdale Dog Bite Lawyer
Dealing with injuries and the emotional fallout from a dog bite can be really difficult, especially when a friend’s mistake caused you harm. But our experienced team of Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers who focus on dog bite cases can help you handle a delicate situation. We understand these situations well and will help you get the support and compensation you require while being respectful of your relationship with the family member who may be at fault.
Don’t hesitate. Contact us now for a free consultation to get started. There’s no obligation, but if you feel we can help you earn more in an injury claim, you won’t need to have the money to pay our lawyers. We don’t get paid unless your case is successful. Then our fee comes out of the money an insurance company must pay you and your family.
