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Dog bites can leave serious injuries, including punctures, scarring, and more, but the psychological effect on you and your loved ones can also be incredibly severe. All of these wounds, physical and emotional, can take a long time to heal, and they may never fully recover. The financial burden that comes with these attacks can be hard to bear, but a dedicated injury attorney could help you fight for money damages that you might be entitled to.
With the assistance of an experienced Chicago dog bite lawyer, you can also work to hold the owner and other liable parties responsible.
Injuries caused by a dog attack can range from relatively minor to extremely serious. While being attacked can be terrifying, the actual physical damage may not amount to a great deal. In other cases, permanent disfigurement or even death may result from a serious attack. The cost of medical treatment for these injuries can also quickly skyrocket, leaving a plaintiff and their loved ones struggling to make ends meet.
Physical injuries commonly caused by dog attacks include, but are not limited to:
These types of harms can leave a lasting physical impact, but they also bring serious psychological ramifications. Those who suffer an attack by a canine may fear dogs in the future, suffer from post-traumatic stress, and endure other forms of psychological harm. Fortunately, with the help of an attorney in Chicago, both the physical and emotional harms suffered in a canine attack may be compensable in a successfully proven case.
State law utilizes a strict liability standard according to 510 Illinois Compiled Statutes 5. When a dog bites someone, the owner is legally obligated to pay compensation to the plaintiff for their injuries. Because the dog is considered the owner’s property, its acts are also the property owner’s acts.
Strict liability means that negligence does not need to be proven at trial. While this is generally true, many dog attack cases still involve some level of negligence on the part of the defendant. Notably, this information can be incredibly useful as evidence for both negligence and to satisfy the elements of the state dog bite law.
Many dog owners attempt to utilize a common defense to dog attacks: that the plaintiff provoked the attack in some way. If a plaintiff provoked a dog into attacking, they are not permitted to recover damages from the attack. Examples of provocation may include:
A hard-working lawyer in Chicago could put forward any available evidence that the injured person did not provoke the canine into attacking to get them the recovery they deserve.
Understanding your options can help you make a well-informed and reasonable decision about how to proceed following your injuries. With the help of trained legal counsel, you can fight for financial compensation and begin to repair your life.
If you have been injured and believe that someone else was to blame, do not try to reach a settlement on your own. You need an advocate who could stand up to defense lawyers and insurance companies, and not be intimidated into accepting an inadequate settlement.
