Common Mistakes to Avoid After a Dog Bite Injury in Georgia

What are common mistakes that people make in dog bite cases? We were recently contacted by a man who had been attacked by a pit bull. In looking at the facts of his case, we did notice that there were several mistakes that he made early on in the case. If you’re reading this, you may be wondering what those mistakes were.

The first mistake was he delayed in hiring an attorney. Because he was unrepresented, he didn’t get the necessary evidence that was necessary in order to prosecute the case. He had no idea whether the dog had bitten anyone else in the past or whether the dog had displayed what they call ‘violent propensities’, which is a requirement to bring a dog bite case under Georgia law. If you’re reading this, you want to make sure that you hire an attorney as quickly as possible so that attorney can get together the evidence needed in order to properly prosecute your case.

Also, it’s important to hire an attorney early on because, at some point, an insurance company is going to want to take a recorded statement from you. If you’re represented by an attorney, that representation should shield you from having to give that statement. If you are required to give a statement like that, at least you’ll have an attorney there who will be looking out for your interests.

Another mistake that we see people make, just generally in dog bite cases, is that they hire the wrong type of attorney. In a dog bite case, just like any other personal injury case, you want an experienced trial lawyer who focuses their practice on personal injury cases and has experience in litigating claims against insurance carriers. You also want an attorney with experience in litigating claims involving dog bites specifically. Dog bites are similar to other personal injury cases, but they are different in some ways. For one, in Georgia you have to show that the dog had a violent propensity and that the owners knew or should have known of this violent propensity.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of a dog bite and you have questions about it, we would be more than happy to sit down and answer any and all of your questions.

Were you or a loved one attacked by a dog and have questions about what mistakes to avoid when filing a dog bite injury claim?

Contact the experienced Augusta dog bite lawyers at Malchow Johnson Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.