Boynton Beach Dog Bite Attorney

Florida’s dog bite law is not as generous as the dog bite laws in some other states, which allow one bite before the owner is found liable if the dog has never bitten anyone before. In Boynton Beach and throughout Florida, the owner of a dog that bites someone is liable for damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Anyone sustaining a dog bite in Boynton Beach should immediately schedule a consultation with one of our experienced Boynton Beach dog bite lawyers to make a claim and recover damages. Call our skilled personal injury lawyers in Boynton Beach at (561) 375-9500 today. We can help you build and pursue your claim.

Are There Laws About Dangerous Dogs in Florida?

Should a dog severely injure a person or a domestic animal, the law mandates that the dog is declared dangerous. If animal control authorities find the dog dangerous, it can be impounded or quarantined at the expense of its owner. If not impounded, the dog must be kept in a secure area.

The dog is not legally dangerous if the person it bit was trespassing or while legally on the property tormented, abused, or assaulted the dog or a family member.

There are two civil laws for Boynton Beach dog bite cases: strict liability and negligence.

Strict Liability

Strict liability, used in product liability primarily and customarily applied to animals, allows the person who is bitten to sue and win damages without proving any wrongdoing or carelessness on the part of the dog’s owner, making the owner automatically liable for any injuries the dog causes. The bite mark itself is all that is necessary to prove strict liability.

The exception is if the person bitten was trespassing on the owner’s property or was provoking the dog when the dog caused the injury; in which case, damages may not be awarded.

Negligence

Florida adopted the modified comparative negligence doctrine, which limits the number of damages by the assessed percent of fault the dog owner and the injured party bear, up to 50%. If the injured party bears 51% or more fault they will be prohibited from recovery entirely. Proving the case under this doctrine is more involved than strict liability. For example, a party shown to be 30 percent at fault will receive 70 percent of the damages claimed. 

Comparative negligence has five elements for the person bitten to prove and achieve damages:

• Duty of care: The dog owner has a legal responsibility not to cause harm to someone else
• Breach: The dog owner failed in that responsibility
• Cause in fact: The breach caused the dog to bite
• Proximate cause: But for the dog owner’s breach, the bite would not have happened
• Damages: The injury must have happened

If an individual that is injured by a dog bite is younger than six years old, the dog owner is liable. If the dog owner was not negligent and prominently placed a “bad dog” sign on the property, the person bitten then assumed the risk of a bite and cannot collect damages.

Contact The Boynton Beach Dog Bite Attorneys at Kogan & DiSalvo Today

Retaining a Boynton Beach dog bite lawyer begins your case. The attorney will research county records to discover if the dog was, at any time, determined to be dangerous.

If you have suffered injuries from a dangerous dog, our dog bite lawyers in Boynton Beach can help. We can advise you of your legal options and ensure your rights are protected throughout the entire claims process. Contact the dog bite attorneys at Kogan & DiSalvo today to schedule a free initial case consultation.