People often turn to their pets as a source of comfort and companionship. As a result, you can find dogs in many Middle Georgia homes. Unfortunately, sometimes those animals will attack unsuspecting visitors, guests, or pedestrians, and those attacks can lead to serious health complications.
If you recently experienced an injury from an dog attack, you might be eligible to obtain compensation from the animal’s owner in a personal injury lawsuit. Reach out to a Macon dog bite lawyer to review the details of your potential claim.
Some Dog Attacks Cause More Injuries Than Others
Generally, there are a number of factors that influence the severity of an animal attack. Certain dog breeds have a greater tendency to bite than other breeds do, while larger dogs are stronger and can inflict more damage on a person.
A critical factor is the size of the person who was attacked. Stronger people may be able to use their size to fend off serious attacks, whereas smaller people or children may suffer wounds in more vulnerable places and be unable to run away. Adults understand that it is dangerous to approach strange dogs that are not restrained but small children do not, so kids are more likely to suffer bites.
Another major factor is how long the attack lasts. The longer that a dog has its jaws around someone, the more severe that the injury is likely to be. If someone receives medical assistance immediately, that is also likely to reduce the overall cost of treatment. It is essential to reach out to a dog bite lawyer in Macon as soon as possible to discuss your legal options.
Relevant Dog Bite Laws in Macon
Unfortunately, Georgia animal bite laws tend to favor dog owners. Unlike in other states, in order to prevail in a personal injury case against a dog owner, a plaintiff needs to prove that the dog owner was somehow negligent. According to Official Code of Georgia Annotated ยง 51-2-7, a plaintiff needs to demonstrate that the dog in question was dangerous or vicious, and that the dog’s owner knew of the dog’s aggression and propensity to be dangerous.
Georgia courts operate with a one-bite rule, so it can be challenging to recover damages when there is no evidence of a prior attack by the dog in question. Courts presume that dogs are harmless, so plaintiffs need to refute that presumption by presenting evidence of the dog’s viciousness. They essentially need to prove that they did not provoke the attack that injured them.
A Macon dog bite attorney understands the local laws and knows how to help those who are injured. They could investigate the accident to determine what occurred, review police records, and meet with eyewitnesses to the attack to see what they observed. They should also search for people who might have prior knowledge of a dog’s history.
Let a Macon Dog Bite Attorney Help You
Georgia dog bite laws tend not to favor the plaintiff. To have the best chance of recovering the damages that you deserve, it is essential that you work with the right legal team. A skilled Macon dog bite lawyer could meet with you to discuss your legal options and help you move forward. Call today to set up a meeting with somebody from our team.