Posted January 25, 2018 

Our state abides by a concept known as the “one bite law” when it comes to dog bite injuries, but what is this law? The one bite law states that an owner or keeper of an animal (such as a dog, cat, or another type of domestic animal) will be held liable for damages in an incident where the dog bites another person. This applies if the owner knew that the dog could cause harm and could possibly bite someone and if the injuries caused damages to you.

How You Can Prove Liability

one bite law Even if you can show that another person’s dog bit you, this doesn’t mean that they will always be liable for injuries. In some cases, they may use a defense, such as the fact that you provoked the animal or trespassing in an area where you were not supposed to trespass, which just so happened to be where the dog was located. Every state handles these matters differently. You may be able to hold an owner liable for your resulting injuries if the animal had a propensity to act in a dangerous way, if the caretaker knew that the animal was dangerous, or if the dangerous propensity caused damages. It is called the “one bite rule,” but it also applies in cases where an animal acts dangerously in general, such as cases where a large dog knocks over a child on purpose or injuries someone in some type of way.

Unfortunately, in these cases you will have to show that the owner or keeper of the dog had prior knowledge of the animal’s viciousness. And how do you show this? Perhaps you are local to the neighborhood and you personally witnessed the dog bite someone before. You could call upon the witness who was bitten to give rise to your claim and show that, indeed, the dog has acted violently in the past. Perhaps the dog is one that was trained to attack, such as a guard dog, or is of a breed that is known for its viciousness. Maybe you know that others have complained about the animal’s aggressive behavior in the past. These are ways that you can show that the owner definitely knew that there was a chance for harm.

Were you hurt by a dog or other animal in some way and received damages, and you believe that this was not the first time that the animal acted out in this way? In these cases, an owner or keeper could owe you damages for negligence. This would cover your medical compensation and more, depending on how severe your injuries are. We want to talk to you as soon as possible about your case at the Accident Law Group. Call us today for more information at 602-262-4254.

Sources

https://dogbitelaw.com/one-bite-rule/overview-of-the-one-bite-rule

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/one-bite_rule