Millions of dogs are scattered across households all over the world. They guard the house and bring joy to their families. However, sometimes they can be too aggressive and end up biting people. The good news is that most of these cases end up as minor wounds and injuries. Victims can quickly recover and forget what happened. Of course, there are a few cases that are truly alarming. Dogs can open large wounds, transmit diseases, and even kill people. Dog bite lawsuits can be filed by the victims to receive proper compensation.
Prior Record
States have different ways of dealing with these cases. Some will look into the prior record of the dog. If it had previously been aggressive towards others, then the owners should take precautionary measures that would prevent a repeat. Failure to do so would open them up to liability. On the other hand, dogs with no prior record may only be given a warning for their first offense. Other states will not care about the record and simply judge based on the facts of the current case.
Victim Involvement
The courts will check whether the victim contributed to the dog’s aggressive behavior. For example, a group of men may have taunted a dog by throwing stones at it. The hurt animal instinctively tried to protect itself by barking loudly and chasing after those who injured it. Even quiet and well-behaved animals can turn hostile if they are pushed to the wall. Security cameras and eye witnesses may be able to describe the events that transpired so that the court can have a clear picture of the incident.
Police Enforcement
There are dogs that are trained to help the police in enforcing the laws and chasing after criminals. Sometimes these dogs may jump on the suspect while on chase, leading to injuries. They may also bite to prevent people from getting away. As long as these actions are performed in legitimate operations and not considered to be excessive, these may not warrant any charges or lead to dog bite lawsuits. However, a guard dog that acts out of character and harms an innocent bystander will deserve attention. Handlers, if proved to be negligent, may end up paying compensation to the victims.
Property Breach
Individuals who trespass to another person’s property and gets bitten by a dog will probably not be able to collect compensation. This will be the case no matter the extent of the injuries as long as the law favors the property owner. After all, people have a right to defend their properties from intruders. Many get dogs that are capable of roaming the grounds and alerting them of any suspicious activity.
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