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How Do Las Vegas Dog Bite Lawsuits Work?

July 7, 2020 by  
Filed under Business, Health, Opinion, Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Statistics show that roughly thousands of people get bitten by dogs every year. While most of these dog bites aren’t severe, some of them cause serious injuries such as mauling, which leave physical and emotional wounds on the victims.

Dog bite injury claims are increasingly becoming a part of personal injury claims made to various insurance companies. With many people adopting dogs as pets, the risk of dangerous interactions with the canines is bound to increase with each passing day.

Dog Bite Laws in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is one of the states that has the one-bite rule for every dog. This rule states that if a dog bites someone for the first time, the owner isn’t liable for any damages. However, if the dog bites again with the owner’s knowledge, they are liable to pay the victim a specific amount in damages. 

Below are some of the instances where a dog owner can face civil liability:

  • The dog is found in violation of the one-bite rule
  • The dog has been classified as a vicious dog by animal control
  • The owner can’t control the dog
  • If the owner is found in violation of the municipal statute of dog ownership

There are no set rules on how dog bite cases should be handled. Therefore, each case is dealt with differently using the criteria mentioned above, which can be used by the victim to prove negligence on the owner’s side.

As with most cases, the victim is responsible for proving that the owner was negligent in their duties and the dog, such as allowing a potentially dangerous dog to roam freely. If found guilty, the owner is supposed to pay the victim compensatory damages.

These damages include lost wages, medical bills, and emotional trauma or, in a worst-case scenario, wrongful death if the victim dies from the dog bite. The owner also faces hefty fines or possible incarceration.

Is a Dog Owner Liable for an Intruder’s Dog Bite?

Some states have the exception of holding the owner liable if a dog bites a trespasser. In such cases, the owner isn’t responsible for any bites if the intruder was trespassing on private property. This is regardless of the intruder’s knowledge of the dog’s presence.

However, such laws aren’t accounted for in Las Vegas. This means that a dog owner can still be held accountable for an intruder’s dog bite in some situations. As revealed above, a dog may be declared dangerous on regular dog bite proceedings.

However, if the dog was defending the owner’s property from intruders or someone who was provoking it, the dog can’t be declared vicious. Dog bite claims regarding intruders or other provoking circumstances can be a tad confusing. This is why you need to retain the services of a Las Vegas dog bite lawyer to help you navigate the claim.

What to Do After a Las Vegas Dog Bite

The most crucial thing to do after you get bitten by a dog is to seek medical help. Always go to the hospital to get treated for any ailments that might arise from the bite. 

After getting the necessary medical help, the next step would be to report the bite to the Animal Control Officer. This is every citizen’s legal duty that has to be done by the victim and the owner of the dog. 

Next, you would need to consult a Las Vegas dog bite lawyer to handle the legal aspects of your lawsuit against the dog owner. An experienced lawyer will help you get fairly compensated for your injuries. The right settlement offer will help you cover any medical bills incurred and legal fees.

Staff Writer; Fred Short


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