Jacksonville Dog Bite Attorney

Florida Accident & Injury Lawyer

A dog bite can cause serious injury and scarring, and the emotional repercussions of such an event are long-lasting. A personal injury attorney offers special services to a person who has suffered from a dog bite injury. By consulting with the dog owner and his or her insurance company, an attorney can pursue compensation for the dog bite victim – money that will help pay for medical expenses, wage loss and emotional pain and suffering associated with the incident.

It is a sad statistic that many dog bite victims are children, and the majority of their injuries are to the face and head. Florida is a “strict liability” state in regards to dog bite law, meaning that a dog owner can be held responsible if his or her dog attacks a person, even when the dog had no previous history of violence. Florida law serves to protect the dog bite victim by assigning liability in most cases to the dog owner. Exceptions would be if the dog was provoked or attacked, or if the victim was trespassing or breaking the law at the time of the attack.

Even if your dog bite claim seems clear cut and simple, the insurance company may still try to offer you a settlement which is far below the actual value of your claim.Our Jacksonville Dog Bite Lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning that they will not collect any legal fees unless they are successful in collecting a settlement or judgment on your behalf. A dog bite victim can only benefit from discussing his or her case with an experienced lawyer. Not only can a lawyer assign a fair value to the claim, but he or she can then pursue that amount of compensation through an insurance claim or in civil court.

Dog Bite Claims and Insurance Companies

In many dog bite injury cases, the insurance company will settle out of court. A capable injury attorney can prepare and file a claim for a fair claim amount and then negotiate with the insurance company to secure that amount. If negotiation attempts are unsuccessful, the attorney can take a case to civil court in order to obtain a judgment through the court. Often, the dog owner’s homeowners insurance policy will cover payment in a dog bite case.

At Ellerin Hutchinson, we handle dog bite claims throughout Northeast Florida, including the counties of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, St. Johns, Putnam and Alachua.

Contact a Jacksonville Dog Bite Injury Attorney at Ellerin Hutchinson today!