Basics for Dealing With Dog Bite Claims

At the offices of Kelly & Bramwell, we’re proud to provide top-quality personal injury services to people in a variety of situations. These cases, which occur every day and can have a major impact on basic quality of life, can come in a variety of forms.

One such form is the dog bite, which can be a particularly difficult process due to animal liability – and particularly so if you don’t have a good personal injury lawyer on your side. Let’s go over what to do in terms of reporting a dog bite if you’re attacked, plus how your case is likely to proceed from there.

Reporting

The first step after sustaining a dog bite or attack from someone else’s dog is to report the attack to the police right away. In addition, call Animal Control and make a report to them – the police might help you with this in some cases. From here, particularly if you’re injured or feel you’ll be due compensation of any kind from the animal’s owner, call a personal injury lawyer from Kelly & Bramwell.

Owner Liability

Once we’re on your case, the first step will be proving that the owner of the dog was liable for your injuries. In Utah, dog owners are virtually always liable in these cases, barring situations where police dogs are used with proper training.

Utah law does not state that you must prove the dog was vicious, or that the owner know of this. Utah will punish dog owners after a single bite. Like most states, though, Utah does have a basic provocation understanding – you can’t provoke a dog unreasonably and then attempt to sue its owner after it bites you.

Understanding Case Worth

Once you’ve determined liability, it’s time to figure out how much you could be due in compensation. This will depend on the severity of any injuries, any lost wages, your medical bills, and any additional pain or suffering.

Length of Time

How long your case will take to resolve will depend in large part on whether you and the dog’s owner are able to reach a settlement. This avoids a court case, and finds a suitable compensation number you can both agree to. If you’re unable to settle, however, your contested claim will go to court, and the case could take weeks or months.

To learn more about how to handle a dog bite case, or for any of our other attorney services, contact the offices of Kelly & Bramwell today.