Dogs are very popular pets and are available in a variety of pure breeds and mixes. They are as easy to obtain as going down to your local Human Society location and adopting a rescue dog who could become your best friend and a protector of your family and property. Unfortunately, some dogs are too aggressive and more disposed to bite others for no good reason than well-behaved dogs. When their owners are lax in controlling their pets, they might pose a serious danger to the health and well-being of others – especially children.
Millions Annually Suffer Dog Bites
Families and individuals in the United States own about 90 million dogs, some of whom account for more than 4.5 million dog bites each year, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Those dog-bite injuries often cause very significant injuries and medical problems that require treatment and might require missing work or that affect bite victims’ normal daily routines. Common injuries include puncture wounds or lacerations that many times become infected because of the germs in a dog’s mouth.
Bite wounds also can fracture or break bones, injure or sever tendons and ligaments, and, in worst-case scenarios, cause death. Children are especially vulnerable to serious injury or death when attacked by a dog. Their relatively small size and frail bodies make children particularly vulnerable to attacks by dogs of any size. Children also scare easily and run, which could trigger an attack by a vicious dog.
Liability For Dog Bite Injuries In Michigan
No matter the type or extent of injuries suffered, dog owners are liable for the cost and other harms caused when their dogs bite others and cause significant injuries. Some states have a “one-bite rule” that says a dog could bite someone and not be declared a vicious animal unless a second bite occurs at another time. Michigan is not one of those states, and a dog bite lawyer in Detroit victims retain can help hold the owners responsible for the actions of their dogs when they bite people and cause injuries.
Michigan law says a dog owner is liable for damages caused if the dog bites and injures someone without provocation and that person had a right to be on the property. It might be the first time that the dog bites someone, but that doesn’t matter. Whenever a dog bites someone without being provoked and that person has the right to be on the property where it occurred, that dog’s owner is liable for any damages.
The provocation might involve threatening someone in the dog’s presence or directly provoking the dog by poking at it with a stick, throwing stones at it, or doing something else that directly provokes it. Whenever provocation exists, the dog bite is forgiven. When the bite is unprovoked and the victim has the right to be on the property, potential damages often include medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
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