How Can Dog Bite Victims Seek Compensation?

When a Dog Bites You, What Are Your Rights?

In Hillsborough or Manatee County, if an aggressive dog bites and injures you, seek or summon medical attention at once and then schedule a consultation to discuss your rights with an Apollo Beach dog bite attorney.

Many dog bite victims receive treatment for gashes or open wounds, and dog bites may also cause strep and staph infections. Over four million dog bites are reported in the United States every year. In 2024, biting dogs in the U.S. caused 58 fatalities.

If someone else’s dog bites you, how can you win compensation for your medical expenses and related losses? And when should you retain the services and advice of an Apollo Beach dog bite lawyer?

What Injuries Can Dogs Inflict?

Dogs use their powerful teeth and jaws to rip into food and flesh. When dogs attack human beings, their bites frequently cause serious injuries, substantial blood loss, and severe nerve damage.

Small children constitute the most significant percentage of dog bite victims. Older people are also victims in disproportionate numbers. For some victims, recovery from a dog bite may take months and require multiple surgeries and long-term therapy.

When a dog bites someone who exhibits rabies symptoms, or if a biting dog cannot be located, a doctor may order a rabies vaccination. A dog bite may also cause disfigurement, tissue and muscle injuries, and, for far too many victims, lasting psychological scars and anxieties.

How is Strict Liability Defined?

Under Florida law, if your dog (or the dog you are caring for) bites someone, and if the victim is in a public setting or legally in a private location, you may be held liable for the victim’s injuries.

Under Florida’s strict liability rule, a dog’s owner or caretaker may be liable for bite injuries even if the owner or caretaker had no warning or knowledge that the dog was aggressive and apt to bite someone.

Strict liability, in other words, means a dog bite victim doesn’t have to prove that a dog’s owner or caretaker was negligent. Instead, to prevail with a personal injury lawsuit, the victim must prove only that he or she was not trespassing and did not provoke the dog.

How Are Most Dog Bite Claims Settled?

In Florida, if you and your Apollo Beach dog bite attorney can prove you weren’t trespassing and didn’t provoke the dog, the dog’s owner or caretaker may agree – or be ordered by the court – to compensate you for your medical costs, lost earnings, and your related losses and damages.

If a dog bites you in Hillsborough or Manatee County, after a medical provider examines and treats your injury, ask an Apollo Beach dog bite lawyer to determine if you have an injury claim, and if so, which party may be held liable.

If a dog bites you and you file a personal injury lawsuit against the dog’s owner or caretaker, your case will probably be resolved out of court when the lawyers for both sides meet privately to negotiate a settlement. In Florida, dog bite cases seldom go to trial.

What if Your Injury Claim is Disputed?

If a dog’s owner or caretaker disputes your injury claim, that person may raise one or more of the following defenses. If no reasonable settlement offer is made in the out-of-court negotiations, your dog bite case may go to trial, where the dog’s owner or caretaker may contend that:

1. You were trespassing and you were on the property illegally.
2. You provoked the dog to bite you.
3. The dog was defending the owner or another person from a perceived attack or threat.

If a dog attacks you while you’re provoking it, trespassing on private property, or committing a criminal act, in most cases in Florida, you will not be allowed to take legal action or recover any damages from the animal’s owner or caretaker.

Can You Protect Yourself and Your Child From Dog Bites?

Before they bite, most dogs exhibit warning signs that both children and adults need to know. Before biting, a dog may raise the hackles on its neck and back, bare its teeth, go rigid, growl aggressively, and bark furiously. Here are some tips for dealing with dogs you do not know:

1. Do not come near an unknown dog or make eye contact without the owner’s permission.
2. Do not try to touch or pet an unknown dog without the owner’s permission.
3. Remain calm and still. Screaming or running may provoke the dog.

Strict liability requires Florida’s dog owners and caretakers to take effective and practical steps to keep their pets from injuring others.

What More Should Dog Bite Victims Know?

In Florida, dog bite victims have two years from the date of a dog bite to initiate a lawsuit against a dog’s owner or caretaker. However, if you’re a dog bite victim, there is no reason to wait. The sooner an attorney is on the case, the more likely your injury claim will prevail.

At your first legal consultation, a dog bite lawyer will consider the details of your dog bite case and offer sound, personalized advice about the best way to move forward with legal action. For the injured victims of dog bites, there is no cost or obligation for that first meeting.

If you think that you can’t afford a personal injury lawyer to represent you with a dog bite claim, consider this. At SouthShore Injury Attorneys in Apollo Beach, we handle dog bite cases on a contingent fee basis, so you pay no attorney’s fee until we recover your compensation.

We Advocate for the Injured Victims of Dog Bites

At SouthShore Injury Attorneys, Florida personal injury lawyers Francisco J. Mora and James S. Curtis have recovered millions for their personal injury clients.

After a dog bites you and after you receive treatment from a medical provider, call SouthShore Injury Attorneys at our Apollo Beach offices – 813-797-5998 – to schedule a free case evaluation.

Let us put the law to work for you and fight for the compensation you need and deserve. If a biting dog injures you in Hillsborough or Manatee County, SouthShore Injury Attorneys will fight effectively for justice – and compensation – on your behalf.