South Florida Injury Attorney Blog

A dog bite can cause serious injury to anyone of us. Every year, South Florida Personal Injury attorneys receive calls from all over Broward County: Plantation, Sunrise, Davie, Weston, Fort Lauderdale, from persons seeking counsel as they may be the victim of a dog bite or maybe seeking advice on behalf of a victim.

Some of the scenarios personal injury attorneys have come across are; “I was bitten by a dog in my neighborhood while exercising or walking with my child in a park and was attacked by a dog that got away from its owner”. Any one of these scenario attacks can cause serious injury and in some situations can scar the victim or victims for life, not to mention the inconvenience to the victim. No matter how serious the injury caused by the bite, medical attention is usually required. Your personal injury attorney will advise you of the same, and to keep a record of your injury should you plan to file a personal injury claim for compensation or medical bills incurred from the bite.

Dog bite incidents have cost over $1 billion dollars, accounting for almost a 1/4 of the total number of home owners’ insurance liability claims. Homeowners and renters insurance policies typically cover dog bite liability and insurers may charge more premiums for certain breeds of dogs.
Whether it’s you or a family member that has received injuries from a dog bite, or you are the owner of a dog that was involved in a dog bite mishap, it is important to contact a personal injury attorney so your rights are protected.

For dog owners the following tips can help reduce the chances of your dog biting someone:

1. Have your dog spayed or neutered. Some of these procedures will reduce the likelihood that the dog will bite.
2. Socialize your dog with others, so that it knows how to act around other people and animals.
3. Play non-aggressive games with your dog such as “go fetch.” Playing aggressive games like “tug-of-war” can encourage inappropriate behavior.
4. Avoid exposing your dog to situations in which you are unsure what the dog’s response will be.