Howard County Dog Bite Lawyer
Any dog can bite, and resulting injuries can range from minor scratches to puncture wounds and other severely debilitating and disfiguring injuries. If you are bitten or attacked by a dog, the animal’s owner may be held liable for your injuries and losses. A Howard County dog bite lawyer can help you obtain compensation following an animal attack. Call today to discuss your case with an injury lawyer in Howard County.
Working with a Dog Bite Lawyer in Howard County, Maryland
In order to know whether you are entitled to compensation from the owner of a dangerous dog, it is important to understand Maryland dog bite laws. If you were injured by a dog bite or attack, act quickly to secure legal representation from a Howard County dog bite attorney who can fight for you.
A dog bite lawsuit defendant may argue that he or she did not know or could not have reasonably known that the dog had a propensity for violence. The dog owner may also attempt to demonstrate a plaintiff’s own liability by claiming that the dog bite victim was trespassing or provoking the animal. Your lawyer can challenge the defendant’s claims. Through investigation and litigation, he or she can determine the validity of each claim.
Through the rules of strict liability or negligence, a dog owner is culpable for his or her animal’s behavior. A person who is injured in an animal attack may be able to receive compensation for emergency and continuing medical care, reconstructive surgery, emotional counseling to deal with the trauma of the attack, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
If you have suffered injury, or if you have lost a loved one, after being bitten or mauled by a dog, our Howard County dog bite lawyers are committed to fighting for your recovery.
Maryland Dog Bite Laws
Under Maryland law, dog owners may be held criminally and civilly liable when they fail to adequately secure their animals and those animals bite or attack someone, causing personal injury or death.
The owner of a dog who is running “at large” and attacks someone can be held strictly liable without showing negligence on behalf of the owner unless the victim was attempting to trespass, torment, provoke or commit a criminal offense against the dog or dog owner.
Maryland Code Section 3-1901 and Section 10-619 defines what the law considers to be a dangerous dog. It also gives definitions of a dog owner’s responsibilities and liability when it comes to properly restraining a dog to prevent injury to other people.
Section 3-1901 states that when a person pursues civil action against a dog owner, it creates a “rebuttable presumption” of the owner’s knowledge that the dog may have had a propensity to bite or attack. In other words, the dog owner must prove that he or she had no way to reasonably know that the dog may be likely to bite.
An owner is also considered to be liable for the dog’s actions if the dog is running at large when it causes injury to another person. In other words, if the dog is loose or not adequately restrained when it bites, then the owner is generally liable for not securing the animal.
Howard County Dog Bite Attorney
When you have been injured by a dangerous or vicious dog, you have every right to pursue financial compensation from the dog’s owner. Call to speak with a dog bite attorney in Howard County for a free evaluation of your claim.
