If you or your loved one were bitten by a dog in Pensacola, FL, you may be able to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses. The dog’s owner or another party may be held liable.
Our experienced Pensacola dog bite lawyers at Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers can help you navigate Florida laws and obtain the outcome you deserve. We have over seven decades of combined experience protecting injury victims’ rights.
You can count on us to make your case a priority and get results. Contact our office online or at (850) 434-3333 to schedule a free consultation with a member of our team.
How Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers Can Help You After a Dog Bite in Pensacola, FL
At Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers, we have 75 years of combined legal experience and a record of getting results for our clients. We’ll go the extra mile to guide you through your dog bite case and protect your rights.
When you hire our Pensacola personal injury lawyers, we’ll do what it takes to recover fair compensation for your injuries; we will:
- Investigate the incident
- Gather evidence of the bite, your injuries, and the dog’s history
- Speak with witnesses and take their statements
- Contact the insurance company on your behalf
- Negotiate a favorable settlement
- File your case in court if a settlement can’t be reached
Schedule a free initial consultation to discuss your dog bite claim with our personal injury attorneys in Pensacola, Florida.
How Common Are Dog Bites in Florida?
Hundreds of people are bitten by dogs in Florida each year. According to the United States Postal Service, Florida ranked #7 for the most dog bites on USPS employees in a recent year. Children are at the highest risk for dog bites and severe or even fatal injuries.
What Is My Pensacola Dog Bite Case Worth?
There isn’t a simple formula for calculating the value of a Pensacola dog bite claim.
To accurately assess the value of your case, your attorney will weigh the following factors:
- The severity of your injuries
- The future impacts of your injuries
- The extent of your expenses and suffering
- Whether you were partly to blame for the incident
- The insurance policy limits
Our Pensacola dog bite attorneys will review your case, considering these factors, and calculate its value.
Can I Recover Compensation If I’m Being Blamed for a Dog Bite in Florida?
The dog owner or other responsible party may claim that your actions contributed to the dog attack. For example, they may allege that you provoked the animal or were trespassing at the time of the incident. If the court agrees, it could impact your compensation.
Florida has a modified comparative negligence law, which allows an injured party to recover compensation if they are 50% or less at fault. However, their compensation will be decreased proportionally to the degree of fault. For example, if a victim is 30% responsible, they can recover up to 70% of their damages. If a victim is 51% or more at fault, they will be barred from recovering any compensation.
If you’re being blamed for a dog bite incident, it can significantly impact your ability to recover compensation for your injuries. Our dedicated Pensacola personal injury attorneys will defend you against unfair claims of shared fault.
What Kinds of Damages Are Available to Pensacola Dog Bite Victims?
Dog bite victims in Florida may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are the monetary consequences of the attack. They could include medical bills, rehabilitation costs, property damage, lost wages, decreased earning potential, and out-of-pocket expenses.
Your attorney will gather receipts, invoices, and other documentation to calculate your economic damages.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are the intangible, often psychological, consequences of the incident. They could include pain and suffering, mental anguish, loss of quality of life, loss of companionship, scarring, and disfigurement.
Non-economic damages are not straightforward to calculate. However, attorneys may use a formula, such as multiplying economic damages by a multiplier, to determine the appropriate value.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Dog Bite Lawyer in Pensacola?
Florida dog bite lawyers typically accept cases on a contingency fee basis. Unlike hourly and flat-rate fees, contingency fees are only earned if the attorney recovers compensation for their client. The fees are usually calculated as a percentage of the client’s jury or settlement award. Standard rates are between 33% and 40%.
Under a contingency fee arrangement, you don’t have to pay any legal fees upfront, so you can hire experienced legal counsel regardless of your financial situation.
The actual rate your attorney charges may depend on the complexity of your case, the attorney’s level of experience, and whether the case proceeds to trial.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Dog Bite Injuries
Dog bites can cause serious injuries, including:
- Puncture wounds
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Psychological trauma
- Nerve damage
- Broken bones
- Blood loss
- Rabies
- Infection
When they attack, dogs generally target an individual’s neck, feet, and hands, so your injuries may be concentrated in these areas. Our dedicated personal injury lawyers in Pensacola will help you recover full compensation for your injuries and losses.
What Causes Most Dog Bites in Pensacola, FL?
Dogs bite for various reasons, but usually as a reaction to something else. These reasons include:
- Fear: The dog may feel startled or threatened and attack. If they’re in new surroundings or a stressful situation, they may also feel fear.
- Frustration: A dog could be frustrated because they feel trapped, overwhelmed, or annoyed.
- Play: Dogs often bite while playing. If they’re playing around children, even playful nips can become dangerous bites.
- Pain: Dogs often bite if they are approached and feel pain.
- Protecting their space: Dogs can be territorial and may attack if they feel another person is encroaching on their space. This could explain many dog-bite attacks on postal workers.
Dog bites can also occur because a dog is aggressive, poorly trained or abused, improperly restrained, or has rabies or some other condition.
Every dog bite case is different. Your attorney will review the facts of your case and investigate the dog’s history.
How Do I Prove My Florida Dog Bite Case?
Florida has a strict liability law for dog bites. An owner can be held liable for the injuries caused by their dog, even if they didn’t know the dog had a violent or aggressive nature. The victim does not have to show that the owner was negligent as long as they can prove they were in a public space or legally on private property.
However, even if strict liability doesn’t apply, a dog bite victim could still recover compensation if they can prove the owner was negligent.
To prove negligence, the plaintiff must prove the following four elements:
- The defendant owed them a duty of care. A duty of care is a legal requirement to adhere to a certain degree of care for the safety of others. Often, this means one must act reasonably.
- The defendant breached the duty of care. The defendant failed to adhere to the required standard of care. Usually, this means the defendant did not act reasonably under the circumstances.
- The plaintiff suffered damages. You must show that you sustained injuries or other damages.
- The defendant’s conduct caused the plaintiff’s injuries. You must show that the defendant’s actions were a direct cause of your injuries and that your injuries were a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the defendant’s actions.
You must prove each of these elements by a preponderance of the evidence. An example of negligence in a dog bite case is if the owner failed to follow local leash laws, allowing their dog to run at large. In such a scenario, the owner’s failure to keep their animal properly restrained could rise to the level of negligence.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Dog Bite in Florida?
Most personal injury cases settle before a lawsuit is filed. However, if you’re unable to reach a favorable settlement, you may have to file a dog bite lawsuit.
Florida has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits based on negligence. However, for claims based on strict (statutory) liability, you may have up to four years. You must file your case within the applicable deadline, or you will not be able to seek compensation in court.
There’s a good chance that your case will settle before proceeding to trial. Nonetheless, filing a personal injury lawsuit is often an effective tool for recovering compensation.
Contact Our Pensacola Dog Bite Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If you or a loved one were injured by a dog bite in Pensacola, FL, you may be able to pursue compensation from the dog owner under a strict liability or negligence action. You could recover money for medical bills, lost wages, psychological trauma, and more.
Contact our experienced Pensacola dog bite attorneys at Gross & Schuster Injury Lawyers to discuss your case. Your initial consultation is free.