Compensation for 100% of your economic and non-economic damages

If you suffer an injury because of a dog bite or attack, you are entitled to compensation for 100% of your economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include items such as lost wages and medical care. Economic losses also include plastic surgery which can easily exceed $100,000. Non-economic damages for pain and suffering are also a major component in a personal injury case involving a dog bite or animal attack. In the experience of our Macomb County dog bite lawyers, pain and suffering is often the biggest part of a settlement and includes the following:

Mental Pain and Suffering

• Anxiety, trauma, and PTSD
• Emotional distress from the dog attack
• Loss in quality of life
• The fear of needing emergency medical care, especially if there was a lot of blood or body part dismemberment
• The dread of not knowing how badly you have been hurt
• Disappointment from not being able to do the things you enjoy because of your injuries
• The embarrassment of living with scars or disfigurement that serves as a physical reminder of the attack
• Any latent or subconscious fear of dogs you feel after the attack

Physical Pain and Suffering

• Back pain, neck pain, and muscle pain
• The physical anguish from the attack
• Pain from the emergency care you needed such as stitches or wound cleaning
• Soreness felt throughout the recovery process
• The pain of undergoing physical therapy
• Weakness from any temporary/permanent disabilities that came from the attack

It is not easy to place a value on a person’s pain, suffering, and psychological injuries. Pain and suffering damages differ from losses that are labeled compensatory damages and often the greatest part of a settlement or jury verdict.

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Macomb Estate Planning, Call or Text (586) 500-5000

Do You Qualify to File a Dog Bite Claim or Lawsuit?

In most scenarios YOU QUALIFY TO CLAIM $$$ DAMAGES with only a couple of exceptions. The Michigan dog bite statute states as follows:

1. If a dog bites a person, without provocation while the person is on public property, or lawfully on private property, including the property of the owner of the dog, the owner of the dog shall be liable for any damages suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness.

2. A person is lawfully on the private property of the owner of the dog within the meaning of this act if the person is on the owner's property in the performance of any duty imposed upon him or her by the laws of this state or by the laws or postal regulations of the United States, or if the person is on the owner's property as an invitee or licensee of the person lawfully in possession of the property unless said person has gained lawful entry upon the premises for the purpose of an unlawful or criminal act.

Provocation and Trespass - There are two (2) exceptions that may preclude someone from filing a dog bite claim:

• Provocation: It is a defense to dog bite claims if the injured party provoked the animal. Teasing or hitting a dog constitutes provocation.
  
• Trespass: A person injured by the animal or dog of another may be precluded from filing a dog bite action if he or she is a trespasser on the property where the injury occurred.

One Bite Law: Some states follow the “One Bite Law” which states that the owner is liable for an injury caused by their pet, and therefore required to pay damages to the victim, only if they knew, or should have known, that the pet was likely to cause that kind of injury. This rule applies regardless of the viciousness of the animal. Some of the states that have adopted this law are Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Viriginia, and Wyoming. Michigan has not adopted this rule.

Strict Liability States: In Michigan you are automatically entitled to claim damages if you are injured by someone’s dog unless you had provoked the animal or are a trespasser.

We're here to help!

Call Now for a Free Consultation and same day office or hospital visit: NO FEE UNLESS WE WIN GUARANTEE!

Macomb Estate Planning, Call or Text (586) 500-5000

* WARNING: Do not try to make any legal determination on your own. You may have a solid claim even though you may think that you were a trespasser or that you provoked the animal.