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If a pet owner properly trains and controls their dog, the chances of it hurting another animal or person are slim.
Unfortunately, not every owner is responsible. This leads to aggressive animals being left to roam freely, often causing injuries to people who did nothing to antagonize them. Whether you are walking your own dog, doing lawn work, or just out for a run — you don’t deserve to be attacked.
Take the case of a recent dog bite incident. McCready Law Attorney Rudy Longman settled a Dog Attack for the $300,000.00 policy limit. Rudy aggressively pursued the insurance company for a quick resolution and secured the settlement less than four months after the attack occurred. The speed of this settlement helped our client get the care they needed, and helped them manage their expenses while they recovered.
Dog bites are serious injuries. The small gash on your leg can easily become infected due to bacteria in the dog’s mouth, leading to multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy. In some instances, dog attacks even require reconstruction efforts due to the viciousness of the bites.
All of this can quickly add up — plus time off work while you recover. In Illinois, a person bitten by a dog can file a lawsuit and pursue damages for their injuries. Even if the dog was known to you, don’t feel awkward about getting your expenses covered. You are not necessarily suing the dog or their owner. You are suing their insurance company to cover your care.
The Chicago Municipal Code requires owners to keep their dogs leashed at all times while off their private property or outside a securely fenced area. Any leashed dog out in public must be under the control of a responsible person capable of keeping the canine from biting, jumping on, or otherwise attacking another person.
Illinois state law takes precedence when filing a civil suit against an owner whose dog bites and injures another person. As per 510 Illinois Compiled Statutes § 5/16, dog owners are “strictly liable” for any damages their animal causes another person to sustain by biting them, regardless of whether that owner was reckless in how they controlled their dog or if they knew their pet had violent tendencies.
Because of this, the only component an injured party must prove for a dog bite lawsuit is that a specific person’s dog bit them. Working with a reliable dog bite attorney in Chicago to establish negligence by the owner could help maximize financial recovery from a claim.
A Chicago lawyer could contest allegations made by a dog owner that the person who was bitten was partially at fault for causing their own injuries. For example, the owner could claim they were trespassing on their property or provoked the dog into attacking them.
This is significant because strict liability for dog bite injuries only applies if the bitten person was “peaceably conducting himself or herself in any place where he or she may lawfully be.” In addition, any amount of comparative fault an injured person is found to hold for their own injury may be held against them in court as a proportional reduction from their final damage award.
Under 735 ILCS § 5/2-1116, someone found to be primarily at fault for their own injury is ineligible to receive any civil compensation whatsoever, even if another party was also partially at fault for causing it.
Being bitten by a dog can be emotionally scarring and physically debilitating for an individual. If someone else’s dog has seriously injured you, you likely have grounds to file suit against that person and demand compensation for the harm their pet has caused you.
A Chicago dog bite lawyer who knows how to handle cases like yours could offer assistance throughout the legal process. Call the McCready Law Injury Attorneys today to discuss the details of your case with a seasoned professional.