If you’ve been bitten by a dog in Okmulgee County you need help from one of our Dog bite lawyers in Okmulgee. If you’ve been bitten by a dog or attacked by any kind of animal you know how terrifying this is. From physical injuries on to potential psychological injuries its important that you get the facts regarding your legal rights. Dog-lover or not, it’s helpful to know the law concerning animal attacks. In the United States approximately 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year. Of those bitten by dogs 60% of these victims are children. If you or a loved one has been injured in a dog attack, get the medical treatment you require and call our dog bite lawyers in Okmulgee.
liability for Dog Bites in Okmulgee
When someones attacked by a dog, the owner can be strictly liable. Strict liability means that you are held accountable for an offense regardless if you were at fault. Elements of strict liability for dog bites consist of (1) ownership of the dog (2) lack of provocation (3) bite or other injury to plaintiff by dog, and (4) plaintiff’s lawful presence at place where attack occurs.
To see how this statute can play out, consider the following case where an owner’s dog caused a horse to buck a rider off of itself because the dog was trying to bite the horse’s legs. The rider of the horse wanted to assert strict liability against the owner for her injuries using the § 42.1 “Dog-Bite” Statute. Although all the other elements were met, the statute was inapplicable because the dog only attacked the horse alone. Therefore, the rider was only able to pursue a common-law negligence theory against the dog’s owner. If you get injured in a dog attack our Okmulgee Dog Bite Lawyers can help.
The Rural Exception to Dog Bites
One major exception to § 42.1 is if the dog bite occurs in a rural area or any cities or towns that do not have city or village. While one does not need to show negligence for dog bites that happen in urban areas, a dog bite victim must establish the owner’s negligence in an area that is considered “rural” for the purposes of the exception.
An example of this is if the dog has a history of biting or attacking humans or other animals. If the owner of a dog has knowledge that his dog is vicious that owner owes a duty to protect people from the dog. This duty exists even in those cases that the dog is found in a rural area.
Contact a local Dog Bite Attorney
When someone has suffered injuries from a dog attack its important to seek medical attention immediately. Its also important to contact our dog bite lawyers in Okmulgee. In this kind of injury case the insurance company will fight to pay you as little as possible. Our personal injury attorneys understand this and will apply maximum pressure to get you whats coming to you.
If the insurance company isn’t willing to pay we are willing to bring and injury lawsuit against them. If we cant settle your case, a claim must be filed within the last 2 years of the dog bite or animal attack. Time is of the essence in cases like these. In a dog bite case you can recover damages ranging from past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages. You won’t be barking up the wrong tree when you call our Okmulgee Dog Bite lawyers today for a confidential consultation.