Residents of New Jersey often take pride in having a family pet, and this pet is often a dog. Dogs make great companion animals, but if they are not socialized, they can become dangerous to visitors or people delivering goods to the home. The Insurance Information Institute reports that costs dealing with bites has risen 94 percent in the past 12 years.
Dog bites end up costing their owners a great deal in insurance claims, and there are other issues surrounding dog bites as well. In the case of an injured worker, the insurer must pay for the employee and the employee’s replacement. A homeowner’s insurance premium may be raised on account of a dog attack, and if negligence is proven, some states can even charge a dog owner with a misdemeanor offense. After one attack that left an individual dead, a dog owner was charged with involuntary manslaughter and served time in prison. The dogs pay a price as well, as many dogs involved in an attack end up being euthanized.
Those who are injured by a dog may require rabies and tetanus shots. An individual who has been severely injured may be forced to incur substantial medical bills.
New Jersey is one of several states that has a strict liability dog bite law. This means that a person who is legally on the premises and is bitten by the owner’s dog does not have to demonstrate that the owner was aware of the dog’s dangerous propensity. An attorney for the victim can thus in most cases avoid having to prove that the owner was negligent in some fashion.
If you or a loved has been victim of a dog bite due to an owners negligence, contact the Cherry Hill Personal Injury Lawyers at Folkman Law for a free case review. Call us at 856-354-9444.
