New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyers for Dog, Cat and Animal Attack Bite Lawsuits

It is a frightening experience when domesticated animals become violent. What seems to be a friendly pet can turn on you in a matter of seconds. An experienced personal injury attorney can stand up for your legal rights. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, over 4.7 million people are injured from dog bites alone each year. Animal attacks can cause serious bodily injury such as nerve damage, scarring, broken bones, and in some instances, death. Attacks can also cause other serious conditions including:

• infections
• deformities/ disfigurement
• tetanus
• sepsis
• rabies

It is important that irresponsible pet owners be held accountable when their dangerous animals cause harms and losses in the community. An accident attorney can represent you in your animal attack case. By awarding the full measure of personal injury damages, juries can protect the public by compensating the injured and deterring dangerous conduct. Animal attacks cause physical injury, grave disfigurement, loss of income, medical bills and permanent emotional scars. These injuries are particularly severe in children who can relive the nightmare of a dog bite or animal attack for years.

When people decide to house animals in the community, they must follow the rules. Animals should be restrained on a leash, updated on vaccinations and registered with the municipality. Animals, especially dogs of a vicious propensity, must be trained. Studies show that trained animals are far less likely to attack. When animal safety rules are broken, people are exposed to needless danger. It is important that people who have been needlessly injured receive complete compensation for harms and losses. A compromise on damages amounts to a compromise on danger and tells people it is ok to house dangerous animals. Instead, the injured should be full awarded compensation for pain, suffering, disability, loss of enjoyment of life as well as out of pocket expenses like lost wages and medical bills. The animal attack lawyers at the Clark Law Firm, P.C., can help you with your personal injury claims regarding dog, cat and other animal attacks. We are community safety lawyers. We are here to help you if you have been attacked by a dog or animal. By holding negligent animal owners responsible, we will make the public safer.

New Jersey Law on Dog Bites and Vicious Animal Attacks. What Lawyers Handle Dog Bite Cases in N.J.?

In many situations, the owner of a dog may be held responsible for injuries caused by their dog. In NJ, you may be able to recover compensation regardless of whether the dog has attacked a person before or if it was known to be vicious. It does not matter whether the owner claims that the dog has never attacked anyone before, as long as the injury either occurred in a public place or that you were legally entitled to be on the property where the injury happened, the owner may be held responsible.

Also in New Jersey, owners may be held responsible for injuries for attacks caused by vicious animals if the owner knew or should have known of the animal’s vicious or dangerous trait. The personal injury attorneys at the Clark Law Firm, P.C. are experienced with the New Jersey lawsuit process for animal attack and dog bite matters. Our experienced personal injury lawyers have successfully achieved settlements or verdict on behalf of deserving people in accident and injury cases in Monmouth County, Middlesex County, Hudson County, Essex County, Bergen County and throughout New Jersey.

How Should I Protect Myself From a Dog Bite or Animal Attacks?

Millions of people are injured from animal attacks a year and half of these attacks are against children. It is important that you take certain steps to help prevent attacks from occurring to yourself and to your child.

Recommendations before bringing a dog into your family

• Have a consultation with a professional to determine the breed of dog that is suitable for your household.

• Spend time with the dog before bringing it into your home. Do not base your determination simply by the breed of dog. Although the breed of dog can help indicate behavior, it does not account for the behavior of an individual dog.

• Make sure the dog that you are bringing into your household does not have a history of aggression.

• Determine whether your children have a fear of dogs before bringing one into the family.

• Spay/neuter all dogs. This will reduce the level of aggression.

• Do not play aggressive games with a dog, such as wrestling.

• Make sure the dog gets proper training and socialization. This will also reduce the risk of aggressive behavior, and you can keep the dog under control.

• If you notice the dog becoming aggressive, seek professional help through your veterinarian and/or trainers to quickly correct this behavior.

Tips on preventing Dog Bites

• Be cautious of unfamiliar dogs.
• Do not approach dogs that are not on a leash.
• Do not run away from a dog.
• If a dog is approaching you, remain motionless.
• Avoid direct eye contact with the dog.
• Do not pet the dog until you let it see and sniff you.
• If you are on the ground, roll into a ball and lie still. Protect your face.
• Do not allow children to play or be near a dog without adult supervision.
• Report stray dogs in your neighborhood.
• Do not disturb a dog that is eating, sleeping, or caring for puppies.

Homeowners Insurance Will Usually Cover Dog Bites and Other Animal Attack Cases in New Jersey – Hire an Experienced Accident Attorney to Negotiate With the Insurance Company

Homeowners should read their homeowners insurance policy to find out exactly how it treats animal attacks. Most homeowners insurance will cover animal attack liability claims and you should be able to purchase an animal liability rider if it is not automatically included. This would protect the homeowner against the costs associated with damages caused by the dog, medical fees and rehabilitation, and any legal costs that result from the attack.

Some breeds of dogs are considered a higher risk factor than others by insurance companies. Homeowners policies are in place to protect from personal liability for injury lawsuits. In most personal injury cases the defendant will have an insurance company running the show from the background. The insurance company will hire a law firm to represent the owner and pay any settlement or jury verdict to the limits of the policy or beyond in a Rova Farms situation.

One dog bite claim should not result in severe homeowners insurance problems. A habit of filing claims related to such attacks can make it difficult to get homeowners insurance. Pet attacks are a serious issue and costly issue, and homeowners insurance companies do not want to be the default liability for dangerous animals. The harms and losses from animal attacks can be severe and life long. A woman attacked by a chimpanzee recently had a facial transplant and is permanently grossly disfigured.

What Should I Do if I Am Injured From an Animal Attack or Dog Bite?

First and foremost, go to a hospital or doctor immediately. Even if you think the injury is not serious, animals have many types of bacteria in their mouths and it is important that you are cared for by a physician to reduce the risk of infection, tetanus, sepsis and rabies. Take as many pictures of the progression of your injuries. Your injuries must be documented through medical records and photographs. In New Jersey, you must be able to prove that you were injured from the animal attack. This can be difficult without any documentation of your injuries.

It is also important for you to identify the animal and its owner. Without this information, it will be difficult for you to recover any compensation for your injuries. If the owner of the animal is unclear for you, the attorneys at the Clark Law Firm, P.C., may be able to determine the owner through our investigation. When you are involved in an accident, it is important to contact an experienced and aggressive personal injury accident law firm. Once the insurance company finds out about your injury, they will probably try to contact you immediately and build a case against you. You need to be protected by an experienced accident lawyer. Contact us today- we are community safety lawyers. We protect the public from danger by holding the responsible accountable.

Finally, contact the personal injury lawyers at the Clark Law Firm, P.C. Our experienced personal injury attorneys will work vigorously to investigate your matter and obtain maximum compensation you need for payment of your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and any other claims that you may be entitled. Do not delay- you injuries may last a lifetime and you only have one chance to get it right.