Have you or someone you love been bitten by a dog in Metairie, Louisiana? Contact the experienced legal team at Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers. You may be entitled to compensation, which can include money for your medical care, diminished earning capacity, and harder-to-value suffering. Our skilled Metairie dog bite lawyers can help you launch a powerful legal claim to hold the dog’s owner accountable for the harm they’ve caused.
Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers offers compassionate, effective legal representation to injury victims and families in Metairie and throughout the state of Louisiana. Backed by over 50 years of combined experience, our nationally acclaimed civil litigators have forced property owners, multinational corporations, and government agencies to pay tens of millions of dollars to clients just like you.
Now, we’re ready to be your most fearless advocate as we fight to get you compensation for your dog bite injuries, too. There’s no charge for an initial case evaluation. Contact our law office in Metairie, LA, to learn more.
How Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Help Dog Bite Victims in Metairie, LA
Dogs can inflict devastating wounds when they attack, especially when their victims are small children. Even adults can suffer life-changing trauma when they’re bitten by a dog. At the end of the day, even friendly dogs can bite. It’s up to a dog’s owners to step up and take responsibility when their dog is vicious.
However, the dog’s owner, their insurance company, and other parties won’t rush to your aid or put your best interests front and center. You’ll need to demand accountability, which will require resources and an in-depth knowledge of Louisiana’s dog bite laws and civil procedure. That’s why it can be important to hire an experienced Metairie personal injury lawyer to handle your dog bite case.
Dog bite victims in Metairie trust Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers because we’re skilled legal advocates with a proven ability to litigate tough cases and win top-dollar case results. Compassionate, client-centered representation has earned us some of the highest honors in personal injury law, including The National Trial Lawyers, the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, and Super Lawyers.
When you ask for our help with your dog bite case, you’ll be able to rely on us to:
- Investigate your dog bite case.
- Gather evidence that can be used to build a strong and successful legal claim, such as medical records, veterinary records, witness statements, police reports, photographs, video footage, and forensics reports.
- Consult animal behavior specialists, medical professionals, forensics specialists, and other expert witnesses.
- Determine if a property owner or another party might share responsibility for your dog bite injuries.
- File your dog bite lawsuit with the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance company and/or local court clerk.
- Pursue a maximum settlement during negotiations with the dog owner’s defense attorney, the insurance adjuster, and other parties to the defense.
- Explain your legal rights and options and help you make informed decisions about the future of your case.
- Bring your dog bite lawsuit to a Metairie jury, if necessary.
You have a limited time to pursue compensation for your dog bite injuries, so it’s important to take prompt action. At Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re here to fight for you on a contingency fee basis. Pay nothing until our Metairie dog bite attorneys have won compensation for you.
We provide a complimentary case evaluation. Call our law office in Metairie, Louisiana, to get started now.
Does Louisiana Have a One-Bite Rule for Dog Bite Cases?
States have different ways of handling liability when an unprovoked dog bites a person. Some state laws maintain that a dog’s owner is liable when their negligence contributes to the dog attack. Other states hold the owner strictly liable for the dog’s actions, no matter what.
One-bite rules are a combination of negligence and strict liability. The dog’s owner isn’t strictly liable for a dog’s bite the first time it happens. The second time a dog bites – or when the owner knows (or should know) that the dog has vicious propensities – the owner is strictly liable for the victim’s injury or death.
Louisiana doesn’t have a one-bite rule. Instead, dog owners are strictly liable for a preventable dog bite. There are two important exceptions, however:
- Strict liability doesn’t apply if the injured person provoked the dog.
- Strict liability applies only if the owner could have prevented the injury.
Whether or not a dog presents a reasonable risk of harm is wholly dependent on the specific circumstances of each case.
What Do I Have to Prove to Win a Dog Bite Lawsuit?
Dog bite lawsuits in Louisiana can be based on strict liability or negligence. If you bring your claim on the grounds that the dog’s owner is strictly liable under La. Civ. Code Art. 2321, you’ll have to prove:
- The defendant owned the dog
- The dog bit or attacked you, causing harm
- The owner could have prevented the harm and
- You did not provoke the animal.
The owner might fight back and counter that they couldn’t have prevented the dog from biting you. It’s the owner’s burden to prove this. If they make a case, you’ll have to rebut it to win your case.
You can also bring a dog bite claim on the grounds that the dog’s owner or another third party was negligent. For instance, you might be able to sue a property owner if you were bitten by a dog on someone else’s property in Metairie. Property owners have a duty to protect you, as an invited guest, from foreseeable risks of harm. If the owner knew a potentially dangerous dog was on the premises and did nothing to protect you, they might share responsibility for your dog bite injuries.
To bring a negligence claim, you must prove:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care
- The defendant breached this duty of care through some unreasonable action
- The defendant’s want of care caused you to get bitten by the dog, and
- You’ve suffered damages.
No matter the grounds for your dog bite lawsuit, you are required to prove your allegations by a preponderance of the evidence. If you do this, you can be awarded compensation for your costs and suffering.
Common Dog Bite Injuries
Millions of people are bitten by dogs every year. Hundreds of thousands of victims require medical care and/or hospitalization. In fact, 2.5 percent of dog bite victims – most of them children – have to be hospitalized because their injuries are so severe.
Some of the most common dog bite injuries include:
- Puncture wounds
- Cuts and lacerations
- Crush injuries
- Broken bones
- Infections and disease
- Nerve damage
- Soft tissue injuries
- Amputation injuries
- Degloving injuries
- Back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck injuries
- Concussion injuries
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death
Always seek prompt medical care after you or a loved one has been bitten by a dog in Metairie, LA. The sooner you get help, the less likely it is that you’ll suffer from permanent impairments or complications. Your visit to the emergency room can also help generate evidence that you’ll need to win your dog bite case.
What Damages Can Be Awarded to Metairie Dog Bite Victims?
As a dog bite victim in Metairie, Louisiana, you can file a legal claim to recover economic damages and non-economic damages for:
- Current and future medical bills
- Rehabilitation
- Lost wages and income
- Reduced earning capacity
- Disability
- Nursing assistance
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Funeral expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Embarrassment
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement and scarring
Our Metairie dog bite attorneys will bring in expert witnesses who can offer key insights into the extent of your damages and, in turn, allow us to assess what your dog bite case is worth. When negotiating, we won’t settle for anything less than you deserve.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit If I’ve Been Bitten by a Dog in Louisiana?
Louisiana has different statutes of limitations for different legal claims. The amount of time you’ll have to file a dog bite lawsuit will depend on whether you’ve been injured or are grieving the wrongful death of someone you love. Personal injury lawsuits are subject to a two-year filing deadline, while a one-year statute of limitations applies to wrongful death actions.
Don’t take too long to assert your rights. Once time expires, you’ll lose the ability to hold the dog’s owner accountable for your dog bite injuries.
Arrange a Free Case Review With an Experienced Metairie Dog Bite Lawyer
You deserve to be compensated if you’ve recently been bitten by a dog in Metairie, Louisiana. Getting the compensation you deserve will be easier when you turn to Mansfield Melancon Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for help.
Our Metairie dog bite lawyers have 50+ years of combined experience litigating tough civil tort cases like yours. As zealous advocates for our clients, we’ve won tens of millions in settlements and jury awards.
Discover how we can help you maximize your dog bite damages by calling our Metairie law office today. There’s no charge for your initial case review.
