Your Rights After A Dog Bite Attack - Wayne County Lawyer Explains

Dog attacks are scary, often fast, and can leave you panicking. Try to stay calm after a bite, and do the following to ensure your safety, or that of the injured person, and to protect your ability to file for compensation later:

1. Clean the wound as best you can and use available first aid materials to stabilize it.
2. Restrain the animal if possible, and it is safe to do so without injuring it.
3. Take pictures on your phone of the dog, the area of the attack, and the injuries as soon as possible after the attack.
4. Seek out medical care to treat and document the injuries.
5. Notify Animal Control and/or the Police Department to file a written report (Here is the link to the report form for Detroit).
6. Contact a dog bite lawyer to take the next steps toward compensation.

Who Is Eligible For Compensation After A Dog Bite Attack?

Getting a police report and identifying the dog responsible and its owners is essential first when possible to ensure you know who to pursue and protect your right to do so. After all, not every dog bite is a liable injury, and not every dog attack victim is eligible for compensation.

In Michigan law, two conditions must be met to have a viable claim:

1. First, the victim must not have provoked the dog. If your child was beating a dog with a stick and it bit back, that is not the owner’s responsibility; it is yours.
2. Second, the victim must have been legally on the property where the dog attacked them. If you are caught sneaking into someone’s home by a diligent guard dog that bites you, the owner is not liable for that injury.

So long as these two conditions are met, chances are you have a valid and strong claim for compensation.

Dog bites are dangerous and sometimes brutal injuries that can have a lot of unpleasant and sometimes expensive consequences. While rabies is mercifully rare, it can happen (and can kill you). Other infections in dog bite injuries are common. In addition, they can easily result in disfiguration, trauma, pain and ongoing disability or suffering.

These harms all come with costs, starting with the cost of treating the physical and mental injuries caused by the attack. These costs can be claimed as compensation, however, along with less obvious losses like the pain and suffering endured by the victim, their trauma, or even losses like permanent or temporary disability or lost income.

These costs can sometimes be quite consequential, especially in cases of dog attacks on children or when bites cause disfigurement. Insurance companies may be reluctant to pay and unlikely to even inform you of your right to these types of compensation. This is why working with an experienced Wayne County injury lawyer after a dog bite or attack is so important.

Call A Dog Bite Injury lawyer Near You!

Michigan Advocacy Center, PLLC | Lawyers you can call for answers and assistance claiming compensation after a dog bite attack in Detroit or anywhere in Wayne County

If you or a loved one in your care has been bitten or attacked by a dog, you have a right to demand that those responsible pay for the injury and any costs associated with it. To make sure that happens in Detroit or anywhere else in Wayne County, you can reach out to the dog bite attorneys at the Michigan Advocacy Center, PLLC to ensure your rights are upheld.

If you do want to claim compensation, it is important that you act fast, however, and call our office at (248) 266-7600 to set up a free consultation as soon as possible so we can ensure your claim will be fully and fairly compensated.