Dog Bite Injury In Florida, Do I Have A Case?

December 6, 2019

If a dog has bitten you and serious injury ensued, it all depends on the circumstances of the situation whether or not you’d be able to receive compensation from a liable owner. However, there are several laws in place that dictate certain situations regarding liability with dogs.

Florida Statute 767

  • The owner of any dog that bites any person while such person is on or in a public place, or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, is liable for damages suffered by persons bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owners’ knowledge of such viciousness.

 

  • Any negligence on the part of the person bitten that is a proximate cause of the biting incident reduces the liability of the owner of the dog by the percentage that the bitten person’s negligence contributed to the biting incident.

 

  • The owner is not liable, except as to a person under the age of 6, or unless the damages are proximately caused by a negligent act or omission of the owner, if at the time of any such injury the owner had displayed in a prominent place on his or her premises a sign easily readable including the words “Bad Dog.”

 

  • If a dog attacks or bites a person who is engaged in or attempting to engage in a criminal activity at the time of the attack, the owner is not guilty of any crime specified under this section.

The law provides some ‘grey area’ when it comes to what is considered negligence. If a case ends up going to court if a settlement cannot be reached in the pre-litigation stages, it is up to the judge’s interpretation. It is also rather difficult to receive high settlement offer from the insurance companies because unless the dog carried any diseases, a puncture wound from a dog bite is often times easily treatable. If you are bitten by a dog or other animal, contact our offices at (954) 755-7803 or by clicking on the link here. 

Have You Been Bitten By A Dog In Florida?

If you’be been injured by a dog you need to speak to an experienced Florida dog bite lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Coral Springs office directly at 954.755.7803 to schedule your free consultation. We proudly serve Florida residents including all of Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton Miami-Dade County, Broward County, Palm Beach County and all points in between.

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