Dog owners have an obligation to keep their animals under control. This applies in situations where the dog is out in public and in cases where a person is visiting the dog owner’s property.
Even with this concept in mind, the court will never presume fault for a dog bite. Injured parties still need to prove that an owner was responsible for the incident and connect their losses to the attack. A South Elgin dog bite lawyer is prepared to assist in establishing both of these concepts. When someone else’s negligence impacts your life, our trusted personal injury attorneys can protect your rights and pursue the compensation you need.
Dog bites and other examples of animal attacks will impact a person’s life in many unique ways. Larger breeds of canines have jaws that are capable of breaking bones or tearing muscles. Even smaller dogs have pointy teeth that can damage the skin and cause infected wounds. People who suffer any kind of physical injury due to a dog attack can demand that the owner of the animal provide compensation for the costs of all needed medical care.
In addition, these events can result in other significant losses. These may include:
A South Elgin dog attack attorney works to understand how an event has changed an injured person’s life. With this information, our team can pursue comprehensive compensation packages designed to cover the entirety of a person’s losses.
Undoubtedly, dog bites are serious events that can significantly impact a person’s present and future. However, the law will never presume that a dog’s owner was responsible for an incident. Instead, the burden is always on injured people to prove liability on behalf of another.
The law under 510 Illinois Compiled Statutes § 5/16 forms the backbone of many dog attack cases. This law states that the owner of a dog is presumptively to blame for a bite when that bite occurs in public or on the owner’s land if the injured party has permission to be on the property.
The owner may be able to avoid liability if they introduce evidence that the injured person was teasing or taunting the animal prior to an attack. Additionally, dogs can defend their owner’s property against trespassers. Speaking with a qualified attorney in South Elgin can help the people involved in these incidents better understand the obligations of dog owners to build powerful cases that leave no doubt concerning liability for an attack.
State laws require all dog owners to keep control over their animals at all times. When a bite occurs in public or when you are an invited guest on someone’s property, the law presumes the owner of the dog to be responsible for the incident. However, this is never a guarantee of success. Dog owners may allege that you were trespassing or that your actions around the animal were inappropriate. These arguments may lower your compensation or result in a complete denial of liability.
Reach out to a South Elgin dog attack lawyer now. We are ready to explain the laws concerning dog bites, measure how the incident has impacted your life, and demand that the owner provide the compensation you need to make things right. Speak with an attorney from Costa Ivone today to discover more.