If you or someone you care for has been bitten or injured by a dog, read on for how a Dog Bite Lawyer in Raleigh, NC can help you recover your losses.
The Bishop Law Firm represents dog bite victims in Raleigh and surrounding areas of North Carolina. We do not get paid unless we win your case and we offer free case reviews. Start your free case review online now.
Pet-Friendly Raleigh
Raleigh, NC's population is close to 500,000 people and more than one-third of all Raleigh residents are dog owners. The city is expected to be home to more than 100,000 canines in 2023 per WRAL.com.
Raleigh has also been named as a top city for pet-friendly amenities. Let's face it, people in Raleigh love dogs (this author included) but with more than 200 parks, and a large portion of the population living in multi-family housing, there is a risk that you will encounter dogs that are not known to you.
Encountering strange, unleashed dogs can be frightening and lead to animal attacks.
It should be noted that you will only have a Raleigh Personal Injury case if you sustain a bodily injury from a dog attack. If your dog is attacked by another dog, you may have a property damage claim against the owner of the dog that attacked your dog but you will not have a personal injury case.
Also read Tips to Avoid Dog Bite and Attack
Dog Bite Injuries
Dog bites and attack injuries can cause puncture wounds, scratches, broken bones, or even wrongful death depending on the severity of the attack, and especially if the dog attacks a little one. There is also risk of infection, nerve damage, rabies and tetanus for the dog bite victim.
In addition, a dog attack can leave a victim with mental scars, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Seeking medical treatment for your injuries as soon as possible and taking photos of your injuries is imperative to recovering on a personal injury claim from your dog bite.
We have written before about tips to avoid dog bites, but some dogs are simply so territorial and aggressive that there is nothing you can do to avoid being injured.
Who is financially responsible for your medical bills and expenses if you are injured by a dog in Raleigh, NC?
North Carolina Dog Bite Law
Trespassing
First, we should discuss trespassing. If you are trespassing on someone else's property and are attacked by their dog, you are responsible for your injuries and expenses related to the dog bite/attack.
But, if you are an invited visitor and are attacked by a dog, then the dog owner/property owner may be responsible for your injuries.
Dogs whose owners know, or should know, to be aggressive and/or territorial must be restrained or safely confined to protect visitors.
Dogs need restraint
In Raleigh, it is against the law for domesticated animals such as dogs and cats to run unrestrained within the city limits. They must be confined to their guardian's property or walked on a leash.
A common scenario we see at my firm is when the owner's fence is somehow compromised, whether because of a hole or other weakness in its structure, that the owner is or should be aware of and does not fix as they should, through which the dog escapes. The dog considers the property on the outside of their fence as their territory and attacks a passerby.
Contributory Negligence
Unfortunately, NC is a contributory negligence state. Which means if you are even 1% negligent for your injury (but see Last Clear Chance Doctrine), you cannot recover for your injuries. A good Samaritan passing by may see the stray dog and try to help it. Please note that approaching a stray dog and trying to touch or capture it may make you contributorily negligent for your injury.
Dangerous Dogs
But what if the dog owner knew that their dog was “dangerous?” According the NC General Statutes, a “dangerous dog” is a dog who has inflicted serious injury or killed a person or is held for the sole purpose of dog fighting.
A “potentially dangerous dog” is a dog who has bit a person or killed a domestic animal outside of the owner's property or has approached a person not on the owner's property in a terrorizing way.
Owners of dangerous dogs are held strictly liable in civil damages for any dog attack injuries or property damage the dog inflicts upon a person, his/her property, or another animal.
Usually, homeowner's insurance pays for these types of claims but it should be noted that many homeowner insurance companies refuse to cover certain dog breeds.
Even though all policies are different, Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Presa Canario, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher and Akitas seem to reoccur quite often on insurance companies' uninsurable lists.
If you are bitten/attacked by one of these breeds, you may have to consider alternate ways of recovering for your losses besides contacting the owner's insurance company.
Contacting a Raleigh Dog Bite Lawyer may be your only chance of recovering fair compensation for your or your family member's injury.
Also read North Carolina Dog Bite Lawyer
