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Making a Dog Attack Claim When The Owner Is Someone I Know


Most people fortunately don't have to think about personal injury law or how making a claim actually works. However, if you or a loved one has been attacked by a vicious dog, it's important that you not only understand your legal rights to damages under Texas law, but also how your personal injury attorney will pursue this compensation on your behalf.

If you've been injured in a Dallas-Fort Worth car wreck or motorcycle accident, the personal injury claims process is relatively straightforward. You make a claim against the at-fault motorist's insurance policy. Dog attack compensation cases work in very much the same way. A claim is filed against the negligent dog owner's home insurance company. The individual themselves won't have to pay you out of their own pocket; their insurance provider does.

However, a lot of dog attack victims (or parents of children who have been bitten or mauled by a vicious dog) are often hesitant to make a claim. This is usually because they know the owner of the dog responsible for the attack and - despite their injuries - don't want to cause any sort of bad blood between them. This is understandable although entirely irrational. If you've been hurt through no fault of your own - if someone else was responsible, in fact - then why should you have to pay for your medical expenses when the responsible party has already been paying for insurance just in case such an event did occur? This is why we buy insurance.

Have you ever had your car dented in a fender bender and had the negligent driver offer to pay you cash to get it fixed? Of course not! They expect you to make a claim against their insurance. The same is true in dog attack cases. One important distinction with dog attacks though, is that you're going to be making a claim against the animal's owner's home insurance. This differs from car insurance in that if you make a claim it does not then make their insurance more expensive. Home insurance is determined by the area the home is located in, not on whether any claims have been made against the policy in the past. You will not be costing the owner any money by making a claim against their home insurance policy.

All this information is important to understand as since the vast majority of dog attacks occur in familiar surroundings, it is quite likely that you will find yourself in a position where you might need to make a claim against someone you know; be they a friend, neighbor or family member. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that 61 percent of dog attacks happen either at home or in a familiar place, and that in 77 percent of dog attack cases, the animal belongs either to the victim's family or to a close friend. No matter who the dog's owner was, you have the legitimate right to make a claim to recover compensation you are entitled to under Texas law.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to discuss your personal situation with an experienced dog attack lawyer, please contact the Anderson Law Firm toll free at 800-354-6275 or locally in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. Alternatively, you may contact us online and one of our attorneys will call you back as soon as possible.


 Other Articles You Might Be Interested In:
Dog Attacks in Fort Worth, Texas
Is There A Deadline For Submitting A Personal Injury Claim?
Winning Your Texas Dog Attack Case: Proving Owner Negligence
Strict Liability: Making a Claim against a Vicious Dog Owner
Making A Claim Against Your Neighbor




The Anderson Law Firm offers free no obligation consultations to people injured in accidents or who have suffered physical harm as a result of someone else's actions. We do not charge you to initially discuss your situation and establish whether you have a claim to pursue. You can call us and discuss your case over the phone, we can set up an appointment for you to come into our office, or we can visit you in your home anywhere in the metroplex.

If after meeting with us you decide that we are the best personal injury lawyer for you, then we will enter into a contingent fee agreement. This means that we only get paid when we win a settlement or jury verdict in your favor. You don't pay us anything up front. We will cover all expenses spent working on your case. Only when we win for you will you need to pay us. If we don't win, then you owe us nothing.

Contact us online now or call us 24 hours a day toll free on 1-800-354-MARK (1-800-345-6-275). You can also call us locally in Fort Worth on 817-294-1900 or in Dallas on 214-327-8000.


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