Qualified Dog Bite Case

How do you know if you have a qualified dog bite case? We were recently contacted by a woman who was attacked by a pit bull, and that was her question. So, what does it take to bring a case in the context of a dog bite? If you’re reading this, then you might be wondering the same thing.

Some states apply almost strict liability to a dog bite case, and that means that if my dog bites someone, I’m responsible for any of the injuries that are associated with that dog bite. In the state of Georgia, however, it’s not a strict liability state for dog bite cases. Instead, what the person has to show is that the dog had a violent propensity. This is because, in Georgia, the state wants the owner of the dog to actually be negligent in order for you to bring a claim against him, which is essentially what you’re doing in a dog bite case.

How do you show violent propensity? Obviously, one way that you could show it is that if the dog had bitten other people. This has been interpreted in Georgia as the one-bite rule. In other words, your dog is to bite one person without any consequences. This isn’t always true, though. There are other ways to show violent propensity.

You can show violent propensity just based on doing interviews with neighbors. Were the neighbors afraid of the dog? Has the dog ever chased anybody? Has the dog ever tried to bite at somebody? Has the dog attacked other animals? You can get a lot of information from discussing or taking statements from neighbors. You can also get evidence of a violent propensity just from the actions of the owner themselves. Did they put up ‘Beware of Dog’ signs, for example? Were the owners kind of nervous with the dog? Were they scared of the dog’s potential of hurting someone and the dog’s propensity to hurt someone?

Dog bite cases in Georgia are very, very fact-specific. If you have been the victim of a dog bite, you want to make sure you hire an attorney who has a significant amount of experience in prosecuting dog bite cases. You want to make sure that you hire a personal injury attorney who has experience in trial work and in litigating dog bite cases. If you have any questions at all about what you should do in a dog bite case, we would be happy to sit down and answer any of your questions.

Were you or a loved one attacked by a dog and want to know if you have a qualified dog bite case?