Dog bite cases in Florida

With the number of injury-related dog bite attacks approaching five million a year, it is imperative that residents of Florida know their rights as possible victims and have knowledge of the legal procedure in a dog bite case . Current attitudes of the state’s legal system, the public as well as the insurance industry are quite amenable in assisting dog-bite victims. Although the most prominent dog-bite cases involve scars and disfigurement, attorneys regularly litigate both the severe and the more regular dog-bite cases.

Every Floridian should know how to handle the matter if they experience an unfortunate encounter with a dog. Florida imposes strict liability on dog owners when their pets become aggressive. Liability is established by showing that 1) The defendant is the true owner of the dog 2) The attack occurred while the victim was in a public place or was lawfully in a private location. So, trespassers are excluded from being protected by the dog bite law.

However the possibility of claims will be reduced by any negligence committed on the behalf of the plaintiff. The dog bite law applies exclusively to dog bites, so any wounds and injuries inflicted by way of the animal lashing out and scratching the victim would not be considered for a claim.

It is also common practice for defence counsel to assert what is referred to as the “provocation defence” in the context of a dog-bite case. Especially if the dog is not usually aggressive or dangerous, the defence attorney will likely assert that the victim must have provoked the dog to attack at the said time.

Legal rights of dog bite victims

The experienced legal team at Farrow and Pulice know the importance of establishing their client’s credibility and rely on the law to establish that provocation be ruled out as cause of the attack. It has been established that a mere 6.5 percent of all dog attacks are the result of the dog being provoked.

At Farrow and Pulice, our Florida dog bite lawyers have experience in successfully litigating dog-bite injury claims under our state’s statutory strict liability framework. They secure favourable settlements under theories of common law strict liability, negligence and negligence per se (i.e. negligence accompanied with a violation of a city or county ordinance).  If you or a loved one is bitten by a dog, contact our firm of professional attorneys or visit our website to learn more about dog-bite claims at www.farrowpulicelaw.com