Ponchatoula Dog Bite Lawyer

Dog bites can cause puncture wounds, lacerations, infection, and scarring. If a canine has attacked you, you may be able to hold the owner liable for your injuries with help from an experienced personal injury attorney. A Ponchatoula dog bite lawyer can help you file and fight your case. Depending on your situation, you may be able to pursue financial compensation for your pain, suffering, medical bills, and lost wages during recovery with the help of a local injury lawyer.

Dog Bite Laws in Louisiana

The civil law governing dog bites and animal attacks in Louisiana is listed in Civil Code Article 2321. Animal owners are responsible for bites and injuries caused by their animals if four conditions are met:

1. The owner knew or should have known the animal was likely to bite or attack someone else
2. The danger to others could have been prevented with reasonable care
3. The animal owner did not take reasonable steps to prevent injury.
4. The injured person did nothing to provoke the animal in question

The law is different for dogs as the owner of the dog is strictly liable for damages for injuries to persons or property caused by the dog and which the owner could have prevented.  This means for dogs as compared to other animals there is no requirement that it be shown that the dog owner knew or should have known the dog was likely to bite or attack someone.  Even so, it must be shown the injuries did not result from the injured person’s provocation of the dog,

With a dog bite lawyer’s help from Ponchatoula, a an injured person bitten by an animal could show a court the evidence of their wounds and that they meet all other necessary elements of the case.

Can a Plaintiff Pursue Damages for Animal Injuries Beyond Bites?

Another difference in Louisiana’s law, which is favorable for any person injure by a dog, is the that the law covers damage caused by the animal and is not limited to bites. You may be able to recover damages not just for the harm caused by an animal’s bite, but also for other injuries. If the animal also knocked you down causing a broken wrist, head injury, or other damage a Ponchatoula dog bite attorney could hold the dog owner liable for not just bite wounds, but the full extent of your injuries.

Defenses to Dog Bite Claims

Provocation

A dog’s owner may avoid liability if you provoked their dog to attack. If a dog was fenced-in and a passerby was throwing rocks, poking the dog with a stick, or aggressively kicking the fence, a resulting-bite may be considered the result of provocation.

All dogs, from the family house pet to an aggressive junkyard dog will be treated equally. This means that defendants cannot typically excuse their dog’s behavior because it was bred to be aggressive or pursue intruders aggressively.

How Does Comparative Negligence Operate in Dog Bite Cases?

If the owner is found to be liable for a person’s injuries, they owner could argue that the injured person bears part of the blame for the incident. For example, if anyone was trespassing at the time or entered property with a “Beware of Dog” sign prominently displayed, a defense could be raised that any subsequent attack was partially their fault. If the court believes the dog-owner’s case, the injured person’s overall damages would be reduced proportionally to the blame they are assigned for the incident.

Call a Ponchatoula Dog Bite Attorney Today

With the help of a Ponchatoula dog bite lawyer, you may be able to pursue damages against a dog’s owner for the full extent of your injuries. After a dog bite, you may have been rushed to the hospital, undergone medical treatment, and needed expensive prescription medication. These expenditures and others related to your injury may be recoverable against the dog owner if the case is proved to the court. To find out how you may be able to pursue a dog injury claim, call today.