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A dog bite injury can cause serious pain, suffering, and related damages for the victim. At Shapiro Law Team, our personal injury attorneys represent dog bite injury victims during related civil claims. We fight for compensation from pet or property owners in cases involving serious, permanent, and fatal dog bite injuries. Find out if we can help with your case today. Contact us 24/7 for a free initial consultation in Tempe, Arizona.
You may not need a dog bite lawyer for a minor injury without significantly related damages. A minor bite wound that costs less than $500 in medical bills, for instance, could be something you deal with yourself. Talking to the pet’s owner could result in enough compensation to resolve the case. If, however, the dog attack caused serious to catastrophic injuries, hire a lawyer to assist you with the claims process. Hiring a lawyer could make it easier to hold a pet owner responsible for your losses.
A pet owner in Arizona will be strictly liable for the injuries and damages his or her dog causes. Arizona uses a strict liability dog bite law (Arizona Revised Statute 11-1025), meaning that even if the owner did not know about the dog’s propensity for violence, he or she will be liable for injuries the dog causes. You will not need to prove prior knowledge of the dog’s aggressive behavior or the owner’s neglect to prevent the attack to be eligible for financial compensation. The owner will be liable for your injuries regardless.
It is possible, however, for the pet owner to refute fault by saying the dog was defending itself from your harassing or provoking act, or that the dog was acting within its official duties in assisting a police officer. If you were trespassing, for example, this could hurt your ability to obtain compensation from the dog owner. You or your lawyer will need to prove that you were lawfully on the property, that your damages came from a dog attack, and that the defendant was in charge of the dog at the time of the incident.
David Shapiro has years of experience assisting clients with personal injury claims throughout Arizona. This includes knowledge of dog attacks and dog bite injury claims. He recognizes the catastrophic nature of many of these attacks, as well as the life-altering injuries victims can suffer.
It is our mission to assist dog bite injury victims in the pursuit of justice, closure, and compensation in Tempe. We can provide legal representation to dog attack victims or surviving loved ones to improve their chances of success during civil claims in Arizona.
If a dog attacks you in Tempe, document the accident using photographs and written information about what happened. Report the incident to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Go to the hospital for professional medical care. Then, contact Shapiro Law Team to set up a free consultation with our dog bite attorneys. We can help you with your claim from there. Call (480) 300-5405 24/7 to talk to our attorneys.