How Personal Injury Lawyer In Port Hope Deals With Dog Bite Cases
Personal injury law allows you to claim compensation for dog bites. Good, but how can you hold a dog responsible for such a deed, especially when it is known that dogs are man's best friend. Obviously, it is the owner of the dog that will be held responsible for the attack and liable for payment. But then how can you relate the behavior of the dog with negligence, knowing the fact that to a Personal Injury Lawyer in Port Hope negligence is the primary thing that will make or break an injury claim case. Well, here comes the peculiarities of personal injury law.
Liability of the dog owner
Until and unless the state that you reside in follows the 'one bite rule,' it is the responsibility of the owner of the dog to prevent it from biting others or be liable to pay for the consequences. It is the rule passed by the government for the sake of providing security and protection to the general public. However, simply this will not make you eligible for your claims. There are various other norms, rules and clauses that will be required by the Personal Injury Lawyer in Port Hope to justify your claim and the liability of the dog owner.
Responsibility of the victim
Just as the owner of the dog has his or her share of responsibility, you as an injured victim will also have some in your name. The Injury Lawyer in Port Hope will see whether or not you had to play any role to instigate or provoke the animal to perform such an act. Even stepping on its tail accidentally may go against your way and you may lose your chances to claim. On the other hand, if it is proved that you took adequate care to protect yourself but the animal still attacked you, it might help you to make a claim for compensation from the owner of the dog.
Types of injuries
When a dog attacks the apparent injury could be a bruise or even a piece of flesh missing but that is not all. There are other different types of injuries that the Injury Lawyer in Port Hope will consider. A few of these injuries may be instant while others may develop later. For example, the dog may have knocked you down during the attack in which you may have injured you head, broke a bone or damaged your muscle. Other injuries that can develop include rabies, sepsis, and tetanus. Therefore, you will need to maintain a proper record after the attack to help build you case even further.
The legal defenses