A dog attack can result in severe and painful injuries, emotional trauma, and the need for extensive medical and mental health treatment. Facing mounting medical expenses while also having to miss work due to your injuries can be a very stressful situation, and you may wonder what you can do to find financial relief. You may be eligible to pursue a dog bite claim to seek monetary recovery, and having the right legal representation can improve your chances of succeeding.

At Spiva Law Group, P.C., we’re committed to helping Savannah dog bite injury victims pursue the compensation they need to move forward after a frightening and painful animal attack. Contact us today for a free initial consultation to learn how we’ll fight to recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.

What Should I Do After a Dog Bite?

When someone’s dog bites you, there are some helpful steps you should take to safeguard your legal options.

Steps to take after a dog attack:

Notify the dog’s owner or handler of the attack
Ask for the animal’s vaccination records
Report the attack to law enforcement or animal control
Seek prompt medical attention
Follow all treatment plans and recovery instructions
Take prescribed medications to prevent infection while watching for signs of infection
Retain copies of all records, bills, invoices, and receipts related to your injuries and treatment
Retain pay stubs or income statements as proof of lost wages if you have to miss work

Finally, contact a dog bite lawyer from our law firm as soon as possible to discuss your options for pursuing an insurance claim against the dog’s owner to recover the compensation you deserve.

What Are Common Injuries from Dog Bites?

Dog bite injuries can be severe, resulting in health complications.

Examples of some of the injuries and other harm dog bite victims can suffer include:

Lacerations
Puncture wounds
Nerve damage
Severed blood vessels
Broken bones
Torn ligaments, tendons, or muscles
Viral or bacterial infection
Traumatic amputation or loss of extremities

Dog attacks can also cause other injuries, especially if the attack causes a victim to fall to the ground. For example, a fall on a sidewalk or other hard surface or down the stairs may lead to a broken ankle, hip, or arm. In severe cases, the victim may suffer spinal injuries or traumatic brain injuries.

What Are Georgia’s Dog Bite Laws?

Georgia’s dog bite law imposes liability for dog owners in certain circumstances:

Their dog is vicious or dangerous
The dog injures someone by biting or attacking them
The owner carelessly managed the dog or allowed it to roam free

A dog owner may also bear liability for a dog bite injury if they negligently handled their dog, doing so facilitated an attack, and the bite victim didn’t provoke the dog into attacking.

Georgia law defines a dangerous dog as a dog that has:

Inflicted a severe puncture wound on someone
Acted aggressively towards someone in a way that caused them to fear an imminent attack
Killed another domestic animal while off the owner’s property

In many cases, a dog bite victim can prove an owner’s careless handling by showing that the owner failed to follow leash laws. Many municipalities, including Savannah, have ordinances requiring dog owners to keep their dogs securely confined on their own property and kept on a leash elsewhere. Contact our Savannah personal injury lawyer today.

How Do I Prove Who Is Liable for a Savanah Dog Bite Injury?

Proving a dog owner’s liability for your bite injury in Savannah will require various types of evidence, potentially including:

Photos or videos from the scene of the attack
Photos of the dog’s enclosure, including damage or inadequate maintenance that allowed the dog to escape
Surveillance footage of the attack
Eyewitness statements
Police or animal control records of prior attacks inflicted by the dog

What Compensation Could I Receive from a Dog Bite Injury Lawsuit?

In a dog bite lawsuit, you may have the opportunity to pursue financial recovery for ongoing and future losses you suffer due to injuries inflicted by someone else’s dog.

Compensation in dog bite cases can include money for:

Medical treatment, including emergency care, surgeries, medications, rehabilitation, and physical therapy
Lost income, including loss of earning capacity, if your injuries prevent you from working or require you to change careers
Physical, emotional, and psychological pain and suffering
Lost quality and enjoyment of life

Many dog bite victims hesitate to pursue compensation if the dog that bit them belongs to a family member, friend, or neighbor. They may worry about jeopardizing their relationship with someone they know by pursuing a legal claim.

However, in most dog bite claims, the dog owner’s homeowners or renters insurance provider will pay the compensation awarded in a settlement or court judgment. Thus, dog bite victims don’t need to worry about a family member or friend having to personally pay out of pocket to compensate them for their injuries. Our Savannah dog bite lawyer can help.

Does Georgia Have a Time Limit for Filing a Dog Bite Injury Claim?

Under Georgia’s statute of limitations for injury claims, you typically have two years to file a lawsuit after suffering injuries from a dog bite. Although the law may extend this deadline in certain circumstances, such as for minor children injured by dog bites, you can best protect your legal rights by speaking with a dog bite attorney from Spiva Law Group, P.C., as soon as possible after a dog attack to ensure your claims get filed on time. Otherwise, you may lose the opportunity to seek financial recovery from the owner of the dog that bit you.

Contact Our Savannah Dog Bite Attorneys

A dog attack can be a deeply traumatizing experience. If you suffered injuries because someone else’s dog attacked you, you deserve to pursue compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses. A Savannah dog bite lawyer from Spiva Law Group, P.C., can help.

Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your situation, learn more about your legal rights and options following dog bite incidents, and get informed advice on what to do next.