Dog bites can severely impact your health, requiring medical treatment and care for the trauma you suffered. A dog bite incident can leave you suffering, and you may need to file a personal injury claim for your pain.
At Jorge Flores Law, your Covington personal injury lawyer in Covington, GA can help you handle your dog bite case and protect your legal rights during your dog bite case. Talk with a Covington dog bite attorney about your options to file a claim after a dog attack.
Who Is Liable for a Covington Dog Bite?
When filing a dog bite claim, one of the first things you need to determine is who is liable for your dog bite. Determining this person tells you who to sue when you file a legal claim or whose insurance should cover the costs of your recovery and medical treatments if you plan to file an insurance claim and seek a settlement offer.
Typically, liability for a dog bite falls on the dog owner. They are responsible for ensuring their dog is not a danger to other people. The exception to this is when the dog owner is a minor. In these cases, the liability falls on the parents because they can stand trial and be held legally accountable for your injuries. In some cases, you may be able to hold their insurance company liable for your damages instead.
Unfortunately, filing a dog bite claim for a dog attack caused by a stray dog can be more difficult. Sometimes, your dog bite lawyer can help you identify the rightful owner. In other cases, your dog attack may have been caused because a government agency like animal control failed to capture a stray dog that was a known and reported danger.
If you are unsure who is specifically liable for your claim or cannot reach the dog’s owner, contact an attorney for help. Your lawyer can aid you through this process and use their tools to gather evidence like medical records, interview witnesses, or get expert testimony for your claim.
Compensation for Covington Dog Attacks
When a dog attack injures you, the cause of your recovery can be high. You may be missing work, severely injured, and traumatized by the experience. In these cases, you may need just compensation for your injuries.
As you pursue legal action, your lawyer can help ensure you get the compensation you are due for your dog attack injuries. Here is what you can expect from a Covington dog bite claim. Our experienced lawyer can provide you with legal representation and fair compensation.
Economic Damages
For dog bite cases, you may have serious expenses to handle. Your injuries can be severe, as dog bites leave deep puncture wounds that cause infections, nerve damage, and bone fractures. That means you may need to seek medical attention immediately for your suffering, but you may also have high medical expenses.
You may also be unable to work during this time. In these cases, the at-fault party may owe you the lost wages you have missed and any future lost wages you may need to be compensated for. They may also owe you funds for any property damage caused by the dog.
While these are the most common economic damages, you may be eligible for others depending on the specifics of your claim. Talk to your personal injury lawyer serving Covington about the compensation you may receive for the costs of your injuries.
Non-Economic Damages
A dog attack can be a devastating, frightening experience. You may even struggle to overcome your fears and emotional distress around dogs. In these cases, the responsible party may be liable to provide maximum compensation for the financial costs of your injuries and the mental and emotional suffering you have experienced.
Non-economic damages can be difficult to calculate. These damages are intangible, so they do not have the financial price tag that economic damages do. Because of this, you will need to contact a lawyer with extensive experience to help you calculate the value of your non-economic damages based on their severity and their impact on your life.
Georgia Dog Bite Laws
When dealing with a Covington Georgia dog bite case, you may also need to consider the laws around dog bite cases that can impact your claim. If you are unaware of these laws, you may provide unhelpful evidence or fail to prove what you need to get maximum compensation. Prove what you need to prove to get your maximum compensation.
In Georgia, you will need to follow the modified one-bite rule. In Georgia, a dog’s owner is liable for a dog attack only if they know it is vicious. The dog has often attacked another animal or a human unprovoked. Georgia law states that owners can also be liable if they are careless or the attack is unprovoked. That way, dog bite victims can hold owners liable even when the dog was not reported as vicious.
For example, you may be able to prove that the dog exhibited other aggressive behaviors, not just an attack. For example, if the same dog commonly attempts to get away from its owner to attack a person, the dog owner should be aware that the dog is vicious.
Under Georgia law, your dog bite attorneys will work diligently to show that the dog was vicious and that the owner should have been more aware and careful. By proving that the dog owner was negligent and that the dog has vicious propensities, you may have a better chance at compensation. You may have a better chance at compensation by proving that the dog owner was negligent.
Why Choose Jorge Flores Law?
When a dog has attacked you, you need a lawyer who is prepared to help you through this process. However, there are plenty of options for your legal representation in Covington. So why choose Jorge Flores Law?
Below are just a few ways that our law firm stands out. If you are seeking legal assistance, contact our dog bite injury lawyers for the help you need.
A Law Firm Recognized by Peers
Our peers recognize our personal injury law firm as one of the top legal firms in the state. We have won awards for our service and have worked hard to prove ourselves as one of the top places to turn for legal support in Georgia.
To learn more about our achievements, check out our badges to better understand what we can offer our clients.
Track Record of Success
When a dog has injured you, you need a lawyer unwilling to settle for less. Our track record of successful personal injury cases shows that we care about your claim and will fight to ensure you get maximum compensation.
A legal firm that can prove they have helped many people get the compensation they are due can be crucial to your recovery. For examples of our work, check out our reviews on our page to learn more about what we offer.
Experience for Your Claim Type
Dog bite claims can be complicated, and knowing what to expect and what laws can impact your claim is essential. Without an experienced attorney, you may not have the tools and extensive knowledge to get your desired answers.
That is where your personal injury lawyer in Covington, Georgia comes in. If you have any questions about your claim, our attorneys can put our decades of experience to work for you.
If We Do Not Win, You Do Not Pay
Your payment options may be an important factor in choosing your next steps through your legal claim. After your accident, you may be worried about the cost of negotiating settlements and other steps a lawyer will take for you.
A lawyer plays a crucial role in helping you get compensated, but you may be worried about the expense of hiring one. That’s why we work on a contingency basis. That means you only pay a portion of your compensation, not out of your own pocket. You do not pay us anything if we do not win your case.
Covington Dog Bite FAQ
After a serious dog bite, you may have many questions about your claim and your options to sue. Unfortunately, much of the free advice on the internet may not be helpful for your specific case.
Your dog bite attorney can give you case-specific answers to your questions. Start a conversation with a free personalized consultation, and check out the answers we have offered below for some of the general questions we have received from dog bite victims.
How much can you sue for a dog bite in Georgia?
The value of your dog bite case typically depends on the severity of the attack. For example, a single bite wound that caused an infection may not be as valuable as a case where the victim lost fingers or limb function. In both cases, however, your medical costs should be covered.
We can promise that we will fight to get the maximum compensation you are due for your case.
Can I sue for a dog bite in Georgia?
If a dog bites you because the owner was negligent, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. Your lawyer will need to prove that the owner was negligent and you have suffered injuries leading to the damages you seek.
How much should I get for a dog bite?
The value of your dog by case will depend on the specific economic and non-economic damages you have suffered. While we cannot promise specific damages or amounts, we can fight for our clients for the full compensation they are due. Based on our calculations for your claim, we will pursue the full settlement amount.
What is the dog bite rule in Georgia?
Georgia works on a modified dog bite rule. That means that if you are bitten by a dog labeled as vicious already, you may be compensated. However, the law also allows for lawsuits against dog owners whose dog may not have already attacked another person. Talk to your lawyer about the dog’s behavior and any previous dangerous behavior that can impact your claim. That can impact your claim.
Connect with a Covington GA Dog Bite Attorney
Dog bites can be traumatic and take a long time to recover from. You may have racked up serious debt and emotional distress that haunts you for years after the dog bite incident. But you do not have to fight alone.
At Jorge Flores Law, we offer legal representation that helps you get compensated fairly after a dog attack. We also offer free consultations. If you are ready for your free legal consultation with a dog bite attorney in Covington GA, reach out for help by calling or by filling out the online contact form. Reach out for help by calling or filling out the online contact form.