Were you or a loved one injured by a dog in New Port Richey, FL? You may be entitled to compensation to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. An experienced New Port Richey dog bite lawyer at Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers can help you secure the money you need.
Our attorneys have been handling cases like yours for decades. We’ve proven our abilities time and time again--and we’ve recovered over $100 million in compensation for clients when they needed it the most.
Are you interested in discussing your dog bite case with a lawyer who can help? Call our law offices in New Port Richey, Florida, to schedule a free consultation today.
How Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Dog Bite in New Port Richey
People are often surprised when a dog bites or attacks. Even someone who loves animals can be bitten by a dog and suffer serious injuries. After a dog bite injury, you might soon realize that you need help covering your medical bills and daily expenses while you recover.
Fortunately, dog owners can be held financially accountable when their dog injures someone. Most homeowners’ insurance policies cover dog bite injuries. However, most insurance companies will use their experience and resources to avoid paying large settlements. You deserve a New Port Richey personal injury lawyer who knows how to even the playing field.
At Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, our attorneys will:
- Hire experts who can offer evidence about your future expenses and emotional losses
- Defend you if the insurance company tries to reduce their liability by claiming you provoked the dog
- Negotiate to recover the full and fair compensation you deserve
Our New Port Richey personal injury attorneys have more than six decades of combined experience helping clients secure meaningful settlements and verdicts. If you were hurt, call our law firm in New Port Richey, Florida, to schedule a free case evaluation today.
How Common Are Dog Bites in New Port Richey?
About 4.5 million dog bites occur across the U.S. every year. Around 800,000 of those dog bites cause serious injuries that require medical care.
Insurance reports indicate that dog bites are much more common in Florida than in other large states. In 2018 alone, Floridians submitted 1,281 insurance claims for dog bites or serious dog-related injuries. That means about six out of every 100,000 Floridians filed a dog bite injury claim.
What is My New Port Richey Dog Bite Case Worth?
Dog bite injury settlements can be significant. However, no one can tell you how much your personal injury case is worth until they know all the facts. More serious injuries result in higher settlements, and seriously injured children tend to receive the highest awards.
Personal injury settlements depend upon:
- The type and duration of the medical treatment required
- The extent of the injuries
- The value of any lost wages/income
- The psychological toll the attack took on your life
- The strain the injuries placed on your daily life
Accident victims are usually entitled to more than their receipts and medical bills would lead them to believe. It’s important to evaluate the full impact of your injuries before accepting any insurance settlement. Selecting the right attorney to represent you is critical to getting the full amount you deserve.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Dog Bite Victims?
Dog bite victims often suffer physical, emotional, and financial losses. You’re entitled to compensation to cover the full range of damage the accident caused.
The out-of-pocket financial costs of your injury are called economic damages and include compensation for:
- Past and future medical bills
- Past and future lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Surgeries, rehabilitation, and physical therapy
You’re also entitled to damages for pain and suffering, trauma, and inconvenience. These damages are called non-economic damages.
They’re designed to make up for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Diminished quality of life
- Permanent disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
- Other intangible losses
It can be hard to assign a value to these intangible losses. At Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, our lawyers will consult with experts and specialists who can offer insight where needed. We’ll do everything we can to secure the fair compensation you deserve.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Dog Bite Injury in Florida?
Dog bite victims can recover damages even if they’re blamed for their injuries - but only if their portion of fault is 50% or less. Both the Florida dog bite law and modified comparative fault laws apportion blame between all negligent parties involved.
Your damages will be reduced to account for your share of blame. For example, if your damages are $10,000 and you're found 20% at fault for your injuries, you can only recover $8,000 (80%) of your damages. If you're found to be 51% at fault for your dog bite injuries, you can't recover anything.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Dog Bite Injuries
At Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, our legal team has the resources to fight for fair compensation--no matter how big or small your injuries. Animal attacks have the potential to cause serious injury.
Dog bite victims often have to deal with the bite itself and injuries caused by being knocked to the ground. If the victim was a child, the results can be particularly severe.
Some common types of injuries sustained by dog bite victims include:
- Soft tissue damage
- Puncture wounds
- Concussions
- Infections
- Nerve damage
- Joint damage
- Brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Broken bones
- Loss of limbs
While rare, some animal attack injuries can be so severe that they cause the wrongful death of a loved one. In these cases, we can help you file a lawsuit for wrongful death.
What Causes Most Dog Bite Injuries in New Port Richey, Florida?
Most pet owners never imagine that their dog could cause serious injuries. However, even the most gentle dog can bite under stressful conditions.
Dogs often bite because:
- They believe they’re protecting themselves, an object, or their owner
- They’re afraid or stressed
- The dog isn’t feeling well or was startled
- The dog is overly excited during play
- The dog was trained in a way that made the animal dangerous
A dog does not have to be classified as a dangerous dog for the owner to be liable. However, Florida’s dangerous dog law does impose additional restrictions on owners of dangerous dogs. Those owners could even face criminal penalties for failing to keep a dangerous dog restrained.
You might never know exactly why a dog bit you. You still deserve to be compensated for your injuries. Our New Port Richey dog bite attorneys at Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers can help. All you have to do is call our law firm to arrange your free case review today.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Dog Bite in Florida?
Under Florida state law, dog owners can be held strictly liable for damages when their animal bites another person. That means most dog bite victims don’t have to prove negligence to recover compensation.
Strict liability law applies even if the dog had never bitten before--and regardless of whether the owner knew that the dog had vicious tendencies. In other words, there is no “one bite rule” under Florida law.
When Do Dog Bite Victims Have to Prove Negligence?
Negligence theories can, however, play an important role in dog bite injury cases. The dog bite law becomes more complicated if the dog bites while on the owner’s private property.
In those cases, the owner may not be held strictly liable:
- If the owner prominently displays a “bad dog” sign and the victim is at least six years old, or
- If the victim provoked the animal
If the victim provoked the dog, the owner can still be held liable for a portion of the victim’s damages.
If a “bad dog” sign was prominently displayed, the victim will have to prove negligence to recover compensation. The victim may also be required to prove negligence if the dog attacked but did not actually bite the victim.
In those cases, it’s important to identify all responsible parties to recover full compensation for your injuries.
Negligent parties might include:
- The dog owner
- Pet sitters
- Dog walkers
- Landlords
- Property owners
There are a number of ways to establish that a dog owner was negligent. For example, an owner may be found negligent if they failed to properly restrain the dog in violation of Pasco County leash laws.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Dog Bite in Florida?
Dog bite victims in Florida have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit. The clock on this deadline starts to run when the dog bite occurs--and missing the deadline means forfeiting your right to compensation.
The Florida statute of limitations used to give personal injury victims four years to file a cause of action. However, the state updated the law on March 24, 2023. If your dog bite occurred after that date, you have two years to file your claim.
Interested in learning more about how the statute of limitations impacts your personal injury case? Call Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers today.
Contact a New Port Richey Dog Bite Lawyer for a Free Consultation
Were you or your child bitten by a dog? Contacting an experienced New Port Richey dog bite lawyer can help you protect your legal rights. Call Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free initial consultation to discuss your right to financial compensation.