Every year, 210,000 people suffer dog bites. Not all of these cases can be taken to court, as some dogs have been known to bite their owners too. In such cases, there is little one can do aside from passing the animal on to someone who can look after it with preventative measures. However, most dog bite incidents can in fact be pursued as personal injury cases. This can happen when a dog owner allows his or her pet to wander outside his or her premises and it bites someone.

You Will Be Liable If Your Dog Bite Someone outside Your Premises

If your dog is allowed to roam outside your home, and it happens to attack someone, you can be taken to court and you may have to pay a good amount of money as compensation. If, however, your dog is on your premises when someone trespasses, you will not be liable. In fact, you will be well within your right to file a claim against the trespasser.

Your Dog Must Not Bite Anyone You Let Into Your Home

At the same time, you must also realize that when you have a relative or a stranger that you have let onto your premises, you can be held accountable if your dog attacks this person. You must remember that your dog in this case is like a weapon in your home. If it's an aggressive pet, you must know how to handle it.

The following case summary will provide you an idea of what can happen when your dog bites/attacks someone, and it's not the victim's fault:

In 2010, Mr. Sabine, visited a friend at her residence, and was attacked by a dangerous dog that was known for being aggressive. His personal injury consisted of puncture wounds in his left leg, and severe bleeding and bruising that resulted in scars later on. While the case went on, both parties arrived at an amicable out-of-court settlement and the victim was paid £2,500 in compensation.

The above case is a prime example of your dog biting someone you have brought into your home.

Let Solicitors Judge the Merit of Your Case Based on Facts

Regardless of how you may assess the situation with your dog, solicitors are the best ones to judge where the fault lies when a person is bitten by your pet. There may be certain legal clauses to apply that you may overlook, and this might make a huge difference in an assessment.

There are also cases where stray dogs bite people. Such cases are even more sensitive because no one will have a clue about the dog's health and whether or not it is carrying any harmful diseases. In many cases, you will not be able to claim for a personal injury if you can't identify the dog. However, if you can prove that there is a dog running around the neighbourhood and it has not been taken care of by the municipality, you may file for personal injury.

In a great many cases, it's difficult to identify a dog and prove that it was the same one that bit a particular individual. We recommend that you consult a firm of personal injury solicitors who can advise you on all instances of animal bites and attacks.