Laredo Dog Bite Attorney

Dog bite injuries often result in severe injuries and lead to major medical expenses for victims. Any person who sustains a dog bite injury caused by the negligence of a dog’s owner should be able to recover compensation for their losses. At Nevárez Law Group, we are here to help if you need a Laredo dog bite attorney by your side. We have the ability to fully investigate these claims, determine liability, and stand up to aggressive insurance carriers to ensure that you are cared for.

Why Choose Nevárez Law Group for Your Dog Bite Claim?

• At Nevárez Law Group, our Laredo personal injury lawyers are not afraid to stand up to aggressive insurance carriers or companies to help ensure that we recover maximum compensation for our clients.
• Our greatest satisfaction is to be able to tell clients personally that we have been able to hold negligent parties accountable for the harm they caused.
• We take Laredo dog bite cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that clients will not have to worry about paying any legal fees until after we recover the compensation they need.

Do You Need an Attorney for a Dog Bite Case?

Dog bite laws in Texas can be difficult to understand, particularly when insurance carriers push back from having to pay compensation. However, an attorney will fully investigate the incident and uncover exactly what happened. This will include examining the history of the dog involved to determine whether or not they have bitten anybody before or have a history of aggression. A lawyer will make sure that their client is evaluated by a trusted medical professional who can help properly calculate total expected losses.

Texas Dog Bite Laws 

The state of Texas adheres to what is often called a “One Bite Rule” concerning dog bites. In many other states around the country, civil statutes specifically lay out liability for a dog owner in the event their dog bites or otherwise injuries a person. Often, dog owners are held strictly liable for these incidents, particularly bite incidents, regardless of whether or not the dog owner was actually negligent. In a strict liability state, victims can recover compensation if the dog bites somebody who is in a public place or lawfully on private property, and so long as they were not provoking the animal.

However, in Texas and other one-bite rule states, this means that the injured individual must show the following in order to recover compensation:

• The dog owner knew that the dog had acted aggressively or previously bitten somebody, or
• The owner of the dog failed to use reasonable care to control the dog or prevent the bite incident from occurring

Even though this is called the one-bite rule, this does not necessarily mean that the dog owner does not have to pay after a dog bites someone for the first time. What this means is that, after the first bite does occur, the owner is on notice of their dog’s tendency to bite others.

How Severe Can Dog Bite Injuries Be?

Dogs have powerful jaws, and injuries caused by dog bites can be severe. Some of the most common dog bite injuries that our Laredo injury attorneys help clients with include:

• Puncture wounds
• Facial injuries
• Nerve damage
• Damage to arteries or veins
• Damage to ligaments or muscles
• Broken fingers or hands
• Significant scarring or disfigurement

One of the major complications that dog bite victims must be aware of is infections. Regardless of how severe a dog bite injury initially is, infections can set in. A dog’s bite can introduce bacteria into a person’s bloodstream, and recovery from these infections can be costly and time-consuming.

In addition to these visible traumatic injuries, dog bite injury victims in Laredo may also suffer from significant emotional and psychological trauma.

Causes Of Dog Bite Cases In Laredo

There are not often significant studies related to dog bite injuries in the US, as pointed out in this Injury Epidemiology study. However, during one of the most recent reporting years in which data is available, dog bites ranked as the 13th leading cause of non-fatal emergency room visits across the country. However, the study did examine some causes of dog bites and the characteristics of those who sustained bite injuries, but the study was focused on a particular area of New York. However, we can extrapolate a bit and examine some of the most common causes of dog bites, whether that includes incidents here in Laredo or elsewhere across the country.

• Instinctive reaction. Dogs often bite by instinct, particularly if they feel threatened, scared, or are startled. A dog’s brain functions on instinct, particularly in these situations.
• Pain or sickness. A dog is sick or injured, they often will bite when approached. Even a well-meaning individual trying to comfort a dog could become a bite victim.
• Rough playing. It is not uncommon for dogs to inflict injury even though they are in the act of playing with other dogs or individuals. Dogs can become too rambunctious, and accidents happen.
• Dog was provoked. There are times when individuals provoke a dog into biting them. Sometimes, this is by accident, which is not uncommon with children playing with dogs. However, individuals could also intentionally provoke a dog knowing full well that they are causing harm for the animal or are likely to elucidate a reaction.

In most situations where a dog bite occurs, the dog was not intentionally trying to cause harm to others. Yes, there are certainly times when dogs are overly aggressive and have a tendency to bite. However, those situations are rarer. That is not to take away from the pain and suffering experienced by dog bite victims, but it is important to point out that dogs typically do not go out of their way to attack a human.

Who Are The Most At Risk of A Dog Bite?

Children and the elderly are more likely to suffer from serious injuries as a result of dog bite incidents. Children are typically lower to the ground and closer to a dog’s mouth, meaning they are more likely to suffer from facial injuries. The elderly are often unable to quickly get away from a dangerous situation before serious injury occurs. They are also more likely to be knocked over by the animal, in which one of our brain injury lawyers in Laredo may be needed.

Although rare, in some instances, a brutal dog attack can even result in the loss of life. If this is the case, one of our Laredo wrongful death attorneys is here to walk you through the process of seeking compensation.

How To Prove Liability In A Dog Bite Claim

As we mentioned above, Texas operates under a “One Bite Rule.” As opposed to strict liability states where individuals usually do not have to prove the negligence of a dog owner, bite victims do have to go about proving liability, or at least finding a way to show that the dog has bitten somebody before or has a propensity for aggression.

If a dog has previously bitten somebody and a report was filed with animal control or the police, then a dog by victim and their attorney will likely be able to show that the “one bite” was satisfied and that the owner should be held liable for paying compensation to the victim for this new bite incident. However, it is not uncommon for dog bite incidents to officially go unreported, so if a dog has previously bitten somebody, it may be necessary to speak to other individuals who know the dog or the owner.

One of the main difficulties for dog bite victims in Laredo and throughout Texas is proving that the dog was likely to bite someone if they have never done that before. State law does allow compensation recovery if there was reason to believe the dog would bite or attack somebody because of their aggressive behavior. The dog bite victim and their attorney will need to show that the dog was aggressive and would attack or by strangers when near others or loose.

It may also be possible to prove liability by showing that the dog owner was negligent in some way and that their negligence led to the dog bite incident occurring. In these cases, negligence typically refers to a lack of ordinary care the dog owner takes in preventing the animal from attacking or biting others. This can include allowing the dog to roam off-leash, knowingly allowing an aggressive dog near others, and more.

Compensation Available for a Laredo Dog Bite Incident

Individuals to recover a range of types of compensation if their dog bite claim is successful. This includes both economic and non-economic damages, such as the following:

• Emergency medical bills related to the incident
• The cost of any surgical care needed
• Coverage of physical therapy or rehabilitation
• Lost wages if a bite victim is unable to work
• Compensation for scarring or disfigurement
• Physical pain and suffering damages
• Loss of quality of life damages

The total amount of compensation paid to dog bite injury victims in Laredo will vary depending on factors related to every particular case. Each dog bite incident needs to be examined by trusted medical and economic experts so an attorney can get an understanding of the types of damages to request from the insurance carrier or through a personal injury lawsuit.

Contact a Laredo Dog Bite Attorney Immediately

If you or somebody you love has sustained a dog bite injury, you are likely entitled to compensation for your losses. At Nevárez Law Group, our team has extensive experience handling complex injury claims throughout Texas, and we have a thorough understanding of dog bite laws in this state. Our goal is to investigate the incident, stand up to aggressive insurance carriers, and help you recover the compensation you are entitled to. When you need a Laredo dog bite attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or calling us at (830) 776-7003.

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