Many people have been bitten by a dog at some point in their lives. Even a minor attack can be painful and traumatic. But when an attack involves a large and powerful dog or when the victim is a small child, the consequences can be life-changing. Victims of serious dog attacks in Orlando can suffer permanent disfigurement, nerve damage, psychological issues, and more.
Owning a dog is a responsibility that must be taken seriously. When dog owners in Florida fail to do so, our dog bite attorneys at Morgan & Morgan stand ready to hold them accountable and recover fair compensation for the victims their carelessness has injured. Get your free consultation today.
Florida’s Dog Bite Law
Many states recognize that when a person chooses to own or keep a dog or other potentially dangerous animal, that person must also take responsibility for the harm that animal may cause. Those states impose “dog bite laws” that increase the burden of responsibility placed upon dog owners. Florida is no exception.
Florida’s dog bite law provides that dog owners are liable whenever their dog attacks a person present on public property, although that liability may be reduced if the victim’s careless conduct contributed to the attack.
This means that the owner may still be liable even if there was nothing they could have done to prevent the attack. They assume liability merely by choosing to own a dog. This remains true even if the dog has no prior history of viciousness.
The same usually remains true when the attack occurs on private property, so long as the victim was lawfully present there. This can even include people not specifically invited by the owner but who are present to fulfill some legal duty.
Some examples would be postal workers, police officers, or other government agents. While dog owners can protect themselves from liability by prominently posting warning signs, even this is not absolute.
How an Orlando Dog Bite Attorney Can Help
Ultimately, Florida’s dog bite law is generally favorable to victims of animal attacks. However, this does not mean that it is necessarily easy for victims of serious dog bite attacks in Orlando to get fair compensation. First, the extent – and ultimate value – of the victim’s damages are an issue in every case.
Dog owners and their insurers will try everything to minimize a dog attack victim’s losses, including employing highly-paid experts to testify that scars and disfigurement will heal over time, or that the victim’s claimed pain and disability is not supported by the injuries actually suffered.
Second, as victim-favorable as the law is, it still does allow dog owners to reduce their liability by claiming that the victim’s own actions contributed to the act. This means that dog owners and their insurance companies will argue that victims provoked the dog or unreasonably put themselves in harm’s way.
It takes an experienced Orlando dog bite attorney to identify the weaknesses in these arguments and expose them for what they are – a weak attempt to deny fair compensation to a seriously injured person.
Contact the Orlando Dog Bite Attorneys at Morgan & Morgan
Victims of serious dog attacks in Florida need effective and aggressive legal representation to ensure they receive fair compensation for all their injuries.
Our Orlando dog bite attorneys at Morgan & Morgan force dog owners and their insurance companies to take responsibility for the harm caused by their animals.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a dog attack, call us today at 877.667.426 or contact us online to have your case evaluated for free by an experienced attorney.