This Fort Lauderdale Dog Bite Lawyer represents clients who have been bitten by dogs or attacked by other animals. Victims of dog bites and animal attacks can sustain devastating lacerations to multiple parts of their bodies. These wounds can also easily lead to infections of various types. Mr. Quackenbush helps the victims of these types of attacks to obtain compensation for their injuries.
All types of dogs have the ability to bite a person. However, certain breeds tend to be more prone to attack. These include pitbulls, and Mr. Quackenbush represents many of the victims of pitbull attacks.
When you are bitten by a dog or other animal, the responsible party is usually the dog or animal owner. In many cases, the dog or other animal had previously attacked other people, and the owner should have known about the dangerous propensity of the dog or other animal and prevented it from attacking you. In some circumstances, the dog owner did a poor job of keeping the dog restrained. Perhaps an open fence at the dog owner’s property allowed the dog out, or perhaps the dog owner did not keep the dog on a leash. In these circumstances, the dog owner may be liable.
In many cases, dogs bite people because they are sick, injured or are not feeling well. In many cases, dogs may not be getting proper medical care. Dog owners may be responsible in these situations if their dogs bite people and cause injuries.
Some dog owners train their dogs to fight. This is especially true with pitbulls. If a pitbull owner trains the dog to fight and the dog winds up attacking a human being, the pitbull owner may be responsible.
In fact, in the State of Florida, negligence on the part of the dog owner may not be necessary for the dog owner to responsible. This is because dog owners are strictly liable for harm caused by their dogs in the State of Florida. Strict liability implies that dog owners are responsible for damage caused by their dogs even if they, the dog owners, didn’t themselves do anything wrong – other than simply owning the dog. Strict liability only applies to the owner of the dog. That is, a third party (such as a business establishment or apartment complex where the dog lives and attacks a victim) can’t be strictly liable. Instead, the third party must itself be directly negligent in order to be liable for the dog bite (for example, by allowing the dog to stay on the property after an earlier attack).
Mr. Quackenbush can be reached at 954-448-7288 if you’ve been bitten by a dog and injured anyplace in the State of Florida. If you call, he will gladly give you a free, no obligation consultation. Mr. Quackenbush will not get paid for his work until you’ve made a recovery in your case, so there is no risk to you.
One of the major challenges in all dog bite and animal attack cases is finding coverage for the injured person’s harms. This is because many insurance policies now include exclusions for dog bites. It used to be that, if a person was bitten and injured by a dog, the victim could simply make a claim with the dog owner and receive compensation from the owner’s homeowner’s insurance policy. Over the years, homeowner’s insurance companies began including “exclusions” in their policies asserting that they would not pay for compensation to victims of dog bites. As a result, if you are bitten by a dog nowadays, you may not be able to obtain compensation from the homeowner’s policy of the dog owner.
Instead, Mr. Quackenbush is forced to become creative. For example, if the dog bite occurred at a veterinarian’s office or other business establishment, then you may be able to make a claim against the veterinarian or business if the veterinarian or business was somehow negligent in allowing the dog bite to occur (for example, by not restraining the dog in a cage). On the other hand, if the dog bite occurred in an apartment complex or condominium, the complex or condominium may be responsible for the attack if it was known that the dog was prone to attack and was still allowed to remain in the complex or condominium. In both of these cases, the victim of the dog bite may be able to receive compensation from the insurance companies of the businesses, apartment complex or condominiums.
Lacerations as a result of dog bites can oftentimes result in permanent scarring. This scarring may require surgery to repair. If you are bitten by a dog or other animal anywhere in Florida, you are entitled to be compensated for your medical bills, your lost wages and your pain & suffering.
Emotional issues may also result from a dog bite or other animal attack. Such emotional issues may include a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Your trauma may require treatment with a psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist or counselor in order to deal with the stress and memories of the incident.
If you’ve been bitten by a dog or attacked by another animal anywhere in the State of Florida, you have four years from the date of the dog bite or animal attack to file your lawsuit. It is therefore imperative that you contact Mr. Quackenbush as soon as possible.
In the State of Florida, if the dog owner had a sign titled “Bad Dog” posted at his or her property, then he or she will not typically be strictly liable for a dog bite occurring on his or her property. On the other hand, if the victim is under the age of six, the dog owner will still be liable. Additionally, if the dog owner was negligent him or herself (for example, by training the dog to fight or by not keeping the dog restrained on the property), then the dog owner will still be liable in spite of the “Bad Dog” sign.
For a free, no obligation consultation, call Mr. Quackenbush at 954-448-7288 if you’ve been bitten by a dog or attacked by another animal anywhere in Florida. Mr. Quackenbush works on contingency, which means that he won’t charge you until you’ve received compensation in your case. So, there is absolutely no risk to you.