Every year, approximately 4.7 million people suffer dog bites in the United States—and 800,000 of them require medical treatment. If you’ve been victimized and left with physical and emotional scars, you may be entitled to monetary compensation.

Dog bite law can be somewhat confusing since it is a combination of city, county, and state law. All states without exception hold a person civilly liable for a dog bite if he ordered the animal to attack the victim; or if he knew the dog bit someone previously or had a history of aggression toward people. Almost all states consider a person responsible for negligence that leads to a bite. Dog owners, landlords, care centers, and former dog owners can all be held accountable for such injuries.

The following states are “one bite” states—meaning they may shield a person from responsibility if it’s the first time a dog’s bitten someone:

• Alaska
• Arkansas
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Kansas
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oregon
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Wyoming

If your attack occurred in a one-bite state, the law protects the dog owner and other parties connected to the dog unless the court finds previous attacks, negligence on the owner’s part, or pet ownership for the sake of hurting people.

The other 32 states impose statutory strict liability for dog attacks, meaning the owner is legally liable to the victim. Some states allow certain exceptions, for example, if the victim was trespassing or if he provoked the dog by abusing him.

If you’ve been attacked by a dog, consult with an attorney to ascertain how city, county and state laws affect you specifically. You may receive money through the owner’s insurance (homeowners, renter’s, landlord’s, and more) for:

• Medical treatment, now and in the future (for example, scar reduction)
• Psychological counseling to address the trauma
• Loss of earnings during your treatment
• Torn clothing and broken glasses
• Medications
• Pain and suffering
• Future disability

Tags: dog bite, dog bite law