We typically think of dogs as beloved furry family members, but when someone else’s dog attacks you, it’s a terrifying reminder that they are animals with sharp teeth, strong jaws, and mysterious instincts we can’t always predict or understand. Suffering serious injuries from a dog bite, or multiple bites, is physically and emotionally traumatic. In Georgia, you may have the right to substantial compensation. Contact a Georgia Dog Bite Lawyer at Marc Brown Law Firm to learn more about your legal rights.
Why Choose Us as Your Dog Bite Law Firm In Georgia?
At Marc Brown Law Firm, our Georgia personal injury lawyers understand the lasting physical and emotional trauma of suffering a dog attack. With Marc Brown Law Firm on your side, expect the following:
- Open communication and 24/7 availability. We will even come to you for a consultation if your injuries prevent you from having an office visit
- Founding attorney Marc Brown once worked defending insurance companies, giving him keen insight from the other side into what makes a compelling claim
- A personalized strategy based on the unique circumstances of your case
Maximizing your compensation is always our priority.
Common Causes of Dog Bites In Georgia
Serious injuries from dog bites occur to only about 13 people per 10,000, but these statistics mean little when it happens to you or a loved one. Sadly, serious dog bites happen to children more often than adults, and 80% involve the head, face, and neck.
The most common causes of dog bites in Georgia include the following dog behaviors:
- Fear
- Defensiveness of an owner, territory, food, bedding, or toy
- Pain or illness
- Protecting puppies
- Pack aggression, which occurs when dogs roam in groups
- Redirected aggression, this occurs when a dog’s fear or defensiveness due to another cause results in an attack on an individual unrelated to the cause of their aggression
- Overstimulation from rough-housing play
- Improper training or training intended to produce aggression or defensiveness
In Georgia, a dog bite victim cannot recover compensation for their injury damages if they provoked the dog, were trespassing, committing a crime, or bitten by a police dog in the performance of its duties. Otherwise, Georgia’s dog bite law allows an injury victim to seek compensation for their injury-related damages.
Who Can Be Held Liable For a Dog Bite Injury In Georgia?
Most states follow one of two distinctly different dog bite laws: either strict liability that holds pet owners responsible for their dog’s actions from the moment they take ownership, or a “one-bite rule” that only implements strict liability if a dog has previously bitten or shown aggression. Georgia operates under a modified one-bite rule under Georgia Code Title 51. Torts § 51-2-7, which states:
“A person who owns or keeps a vicious or dangerous animal of any kind and who, by careless management or by allowing the animal to go at liberty, causes injury to another person who does not provoke the injury by his own act may be liable in damages to the person so injured.”
Under this rule, the dog owner may still be held liable even if the dog has never bitten before, if the owner let the dog “go at liberty” when it should have been restrained or kept on a leash under local ordinance.
Besides dog owners, other potentially liable parties in dog bite cases include anyone in control of the dog at the time, such as a dog walker, dog sitter, dog daycare center, dog groomer, or a landowner who knows of a dangerous dog on their rental property.
Common Injuries From Dog Bites
Dogs have very long, sharp teeth, developed for tearing into meat. For this reason, the Dunbar Dog Bite Scale measures dog bite wound severity on a scale that partly considers the depth of a puncture wound. Common injuries from dog bites include:
- Lacerations, abrasions, and punctures
- Contusions
- Degloving injuries (skin pulled back from hands or feet)
- Scalp, facial, and throat trauma
- Nerve damage
- Fractures and soft-tissue injuries like sprains, strains, tendon damage, and torn ligaments, caused by a dog knocking their victim to the ground
- Traumatic amputation of digits, hands, or feet
Level-6 wounds on the Dunbar Dog Bite Scale occur when the dog consumes flesh and/or kills its victim.
Dog bites are often disfiguring and prone to infection, requiring extended medical care beyond the initial emergency treatment.
Steps to Take After a Dog Bite
It can be difficult to take purposeful action if a serious dog attack leaves you incapacitated, but otherwise, taking action at the scene protects your physical and financial future. After suffering dog bite wounds, once the dog is safely contained, do the following:
- Apply emergency first aid and call 911 to request an ambulance, or arrange transportation to a hospital or urgent care center from the accident scene
- Call your local animal control agency to report the attack
- Use your cell phone camera to take photos of the dog, your visible injuries, and anything relevant, such as a broken fence or leash
It’s crucial to go directly to an emergency room or urgent care center after a dog bite so you can undergo a thorough medical evaluation and receive treatment. Dog bites often require stitches and antibiotic treatment, and may later need reconstructive or plastic surgery, depending on the severity of the injuries.
Damages Available In Georgia Dog Bite Claims
Common recoverable damages in Georgia dog bite claims include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical costs
- Compensation for future medical expenses, including for any necessary reconstructive surgery, physical therapy costs, and emotional therapy costs
- Lost wages
- Future income loss
- Compensation for catastrophic injuries, such as loss of limb, permanent scarring, disfigurement, or disability
- Compensation for emotional damages, like PTSD, anxiety, depression, or sleep disturbances
Compensation for dog bite damages typically comes to the injury victim through a claim against the dog owner’s property liability insurance, regardless of where the injury occurred.
What Is the Claim Process for a Dog Bite Injury?
At Marc Brown Law, we pursue the full compensation available for dog-bite damages by investigating all aspects of the attack and the owner’s negligence, whether due to the dog’s history of biting or violations of local requirements for containing a dangerous dog. Then, we carefully calculate your damages and assertively negotiate to recover the maximum compensation available to you through a settlement or in court.
Contact the Georgia Dog Bite Attorney at Marc Brown Law Firm
Instead of adding the challenges of a complex legal process to the emotional distress you’ve already suffered from a frightening and painful dog bite incident, call 803-848-0008 or contact Marc Brown Law Firm online for experienced legal representation throughout the process and maximize your chances of a favorable outcome in your Georgia dog bite claim.