Victims of animal attacks may wish to better understand the legal resources available to protect victims following a dog attack.
About an hour from Worcester, a woman’s bottom lip was recently bitten off by a dog. Police were called to a home where the dog-bite incident took place and were told by occupants of the home that a dog had bitten off the bottom lip of a 43-year old woman. Fire personnel transported the woman to a local trauma center. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
In Massachusetts, strict liability dog bite laws are followed. This means that a pet owner is strictly liable for the damages a dog causes in a dog attack regardless of whether or not the pet owner did anything wrong in failing to ensure the safety of others. The victim of a dog bite injury can bring a personal injury claim for damages against the pet owner. A victim may then receive compensation for the multitude of physical and emotional injuries that can result from a dog attack.
A dog bite injury can cause scarring and permanent disfigurement. In addition to physical pain a victim may experience from a dog bite injury, emotional pain may be suffered as well. Because of this, injured victims may be able to recover pain and suffering damages, as well as medical expenses, from a pet owner.
Victims of dog attacks may find that that a victim’s life unexpectedly changes dramatically. Without warning, a victim may face emotional and financial challenges associated with a dog attack which is why the legal process provides remedies to help injured victims with recovery.
Source: Boston Herald, “Police: Dog bites off lip of Massachusetts woman,” April 6, 2014
