Maryland Dog Bite Lawyers

If and When an Animal Bites You

The first thing that you should do if bitten by a dog is seek immediate medical attention with a qualified practitioner. An animal bite can be quite serious if not taken care of immediately, as it can cause serious infections and even prove to be fatal. If the animal that bites you is infected with a disease, you can face a huge number of health problems that are expensive to treat.

Once you have gone through a medical evaluation, try consulting a personal injury attorney who can help you navigate and explore the implications of Maryland law in cases involving animal bites. A qualified lawyer will be able to clearly assess the situation, and inform you of your legal rights as a plaintiff. Then, you and your lawyer will assess the damages caused by the animal bite and decide whether you are able to hold the defendant (the owner of the animal) accountable in court.

An attorney will usually ask you a large number of detailed questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the dog bite. At a minimum, you should be able to provide the contact information and the name of the animal’s owner. This information is crucial, and if you don’t possess such details, you can obtain them from a neighbor or any eyewitness of the accident. In the event that there are witnesses present at the time of the animal attack, you should try to obtain the names and addresses of anyone who could substantiate the evidence of your claim in front of authorities.

Owner Liabilities for Animal Bites

When you are determining who is responsible for your dog bite injury, the first thing that you need to determine is ownership of the animal. In some states, “strict liabilities” are imposed upon animal owners whose pets the types that are capable of and consistent with attacking others. Under the strict liability theory, a dog owner is responsible for the harm caused, regardless of if the owner did anything wrong or not.

In other states, the owner can be held responsible for the injuries inflicted upon the plaintiff by their animal if the owner is aware of the dangerous propensities of their animal. In such a circumstance, the dog owner will usually be held legally responsible for their negligence, and can be held accountable for the accident.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a dog bite injury, or any other personal injury, let the attorneys at Altmark, Rotter & Trock, LLP take care of the proceedings. Please call us for a free consultation at (410) 783-9230, or toll-free outside of Baltimore at 1-(888) 966-5566.

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