Dog Bite Injury Information

Dog Bite Injury Information

It is often said that dogs are man's best friends. But that is not true for the millions of people injured in dog attacks each year, many of them seriously.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control, there are 4.5 million people in the United States bitten by dogs each year, about 2 percent of the total population. Of these, close to 900,000 required medical attention, about 400,00 for serious injuries. The majority of bite victims are aged 10 or younger.

While fatalities are less common than injuries, they occur all too frequently. Between 2006 and 2008, there were 88 people killed by dogs in the United States. Thirty-three people were killed by dogs in 2009 alone.

There are many reasons a person may wish to speak with a qualified personal injury attorney before pursuing a dog bite case. When selecting an attorney — experience matters. More than half the personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin have at least 10 years of experience, and several have 15 years of experience or more. The team also has several members who formerly worked as defense attorneys for insurance companies, so they have seen the law from both sides. We have helped thousands of injured North Carolinians over our history. Call now for a free case review and confidential conversation about your potential claim. Click here to learn more.

The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin works on a contingency fee arrangement.  That is another way of saying that the attorney's fee is based on a percentage of the gross recovery.  While a case may have fees and costs associated with it, there is no hourly or flat fee charged by the firm.  Simply put, if you do not recover compensation from your personal injury claim, there is no attorney's fee.  This allows the firm to bear the burden of investigating and pursuing your claim, which allows you to focus on your well being. Thousands of injured people have trusted the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin with their claims. Our experienced team might be able to help you as well.

Why you need an attorney for your dog bite case


As with all personal injury claims, it is up to the injured party to prove that the other party acted negligently in causing the accident — such as not fencing in a dangerous dog — and that the injury was a direct result of these actions.

Dog bite cases can be complicated. North Carolina is one of 18 states that follows what is commonly known as a "One Bite Rule," also known as the "First Bite Rule" or "One Free Bite Rule." The rule basically shields the owner of domestic animals from liability to the animal's first victim. The name is somewhat misleading in that the rule applies to any injury inflicted by the dog, whether or not it was caused by a bite. The idea is that the dog owner had no way of knowing that the dog was dangerous prior to the first instance of injury.

However, North Carolina Law is even more complicated than this. In North Carolina, a dog owner is not strictly liable for a canine-inflicted injury unless he or she "intentionally, knowingly and willfully" allows a dog who is at least six months old to run at large, at night, unaccompanied by its owner or a member of the owner's family. This is a higher standard than in many states, where simply letting a dog run around at large is enough to prove negligence. This is true even if the dog's owner didn't let it roam "intentional, knowingly or willfully" and the event didn't occur at night.

If the running at large prohibition is not violated, the dog owners might still have liability if the dog has  killed or inflicted "serious" injury on a person, was previously declared dangerous by a governmental entity, or was used or kept for dog fighting. This is a very high standard to reach. In many states, simple knowledge of a dog's dangerous tendencies is enough to warrant liability. An official declaration by a governmental entity is not necessary. Furthermore, in many states any injury is a ground for liability, not just a "serious" one.

To make matters more complicated, North Carolina is a contributory negligence state. This means if the insurance company can prove you in any way contributed to the accident by not exercising reasonable care under the circumstances, you may be completely barred from obtaining compensation for your injuries.

Even a "minor" bite can have long-term health implications, including rabies, cellulitis and c canimorsus infections. Agreeing to a settlement before these long-term costs are taken into account can leave you uncovered for future medical expenses and other costs.

Due to the complexity of North Carolina dog bite laws, the serious nature of dog bites and the potential long-term health complications of dog-related injuries, it is highly advisable to speak with an attorney to ensure that your rights are protected. Call today for a free, confidential conversation about your claim.