Dogs make excellent pets and have earned the title of our best friends. However, when a dog owner fails to exert adequate control over a dog known to have the propensity to be vicious, injuries can and often do happen.
Dog bites often require immediate medical attention and can result in serious infections, permanent scars, and, in some cases, fractured bones and nerve damage. Serious dog bites often result in skin graphs and future plastic surgery. These personal injuries can also take a serious emotional toll on victims as the physical damage is usually disfiguring and permanent.
If you or someone you love has been injured by someone else’s dog, don’t wait to reach out for the skilled legal guidance of an experienced Buffalo dog bite injury lawyer.
Dogs Have Powerful Jaws and Are Often Unpredictable
The power behind a dog’s bite can be immense, and even a small dog can do serious damage. To make matters more dangerous, dogs are unpredictable. While a pup’s owner may have a keen understanding of what triggers them, outsiders generally don’t, and a dog owner who fails to keep their pet under control can be liable for any injuries that ensue.
Dog Bite Laws in New York
Under New York law, to prevail on a dog bite claim, the person attacked must prove that the dog had vicious propensities and that the dog’s owner knew or should’ve known such propensities. Propensities include the tendency to do any act that might endanger the safety of the persons and property of others. Evidence tending to prove that a dog has vicious propensities includes a prior attack, the dog’s tendency to growl, snap, or bear its teeth, the manner in which the dog was restrained, and a proclivity to act in a way that puts others at risk of harm. Once vicious propensities have been established, the dog owner or other persons who may have harbored the dog are strictly liable for all the damages the vicious dog has caused.
Barking behavior, such as barking at strangers or other passersby and other normal canine behavior, will not support a claim of knowledge of vicious propensities. Likewise, violations of local leash laws are irrelevant because such a violation would be some evidence of negligence, and negligence is not a basis for imposing liability since liability is based on strict liability.
Additionally, a dog’s breed is not a relevant factor in determining vicious propensities.
An experienced and skilled attorney who has handled many dog attack cases knows how to establish vicious propensities effectively so that his client can successfully recover all their economic and non-economic damages.
Turn to an Experienced Dog Bite Injury Lawyer for the Help You Need
The seasoned Buffalo dog bite attorneys at Steve Foley Law Firm have an impressive reputation for successfully guiding challenging dog bite cases toward favorable resolutions that support our clients’ fullest recoveries and best interests. Learn more by contacting us online or call 716-249-2222 today.