Suing Your Neighbor For After A Dog Bite Injury In Toledo

Here at the Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, LLC, our Toledo dog bite injury lawyers represent victims of dog attacks. Our clients include both adults and children and range from those bitten in public parks to those bitten on private property. Dog bite injuries are often severe and include nerve injuries, fractured bones, and permanent disfiguring scars.

Oftentimes, a dog bite victim suffers serious injuries when they are bitten by a neighbor’s dog. This happens because an unleashed or unchained dog belonging to a neighbor runs into someone else’s yard or attacks a person in the street or another place in the neighborhood. It also can also occur when one neighbor is visiting another neighbor and the dog attacks.

What to do When Bitten By a Neighbor’s Dog

When someone is bitten by a neighbor’s dog, they have legal rights to make a claim against the neighbor’s homeowner’s insurance or even sue the neighbor for their dog bite injuries. This often presents itself as an uncomfortable situation between neighbors who may have previously been friendly acquaintances. The animosity can frequently begin after the attack when the owner of the dog is unapologetic or relatively unconcerned about the dog attack. In some cases, the dog owner will actually try and blame the victim for causing the attack.

In these dog bite cases, it is usually the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance company that pays a settlement to the dog bite victim. So, neighbors actually do not have to worry about the other neighbor paying a settlement out of their own pocket and insurance rates usually do not increase after this type of dog bite settlement payment. If both neighbors can just behave in a civil manner after the attack they can still maintain their relationship after the victim is fairly compensated for the dog bite injuries.

Laws That Can Impact Your Claim

A dog bite victim has six years from the date of the bite to bring a lawsuit, as opposed to the two-year period that applies to traffic accidents.  This period is called the statute of limitations.  Children under the age of eighteen may be afforded an even longer period of time due to their young age at the time of the bite.  You should contact us for a detailed explanation of how the statutory period is calculated for young children.

Ohio has a strict liability law regarding dog bites.  This means that the dog’s owner is liable for the vast majority of injuries the dog causes. It does not matter if the owner knew that the dog was dangerous or that the dog had bitten someone in the past. It also doesn’t matter if the owner did everything it could to restrain the dog or to protect the public from the dog, such as put up fencing or signs. However, there are a few exceptions to the Ohio strict liability law. You should contact us for more information.

How An Attorney Can Help

The attorneys at the Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, LLC have authored the “The Ohio Dog Bite Book” to help teach the secrets insurance companies don’t want you to know. Insurance company adjusters handle thousands of dog bite claims every year with one goal in mind: settling them as cheaply as possible even if the victim is not fairly compensated. Insurance adjusters settle injury cases for a living, but you can level the playing field by learning your rights and retaining the dog bite lawyers and the Charles E. Boyk Law Offices, LLC.