Central New York Dog Bite Attorneys

An estimated 4.5 million dog bites happen every year in the United States, with about 800,000 victims receiving medical attention. Children make up at least half of the bite victims getting medical care, they’re the most vulnerable and more likely to be severely injured. Dog bites and related injuries can be traumatic for victims of any age, who can suffer emotional distress along with the physical pain, as well as possible disfigurement, and even death.

Protecting your family is a natural response, so you make sure they don’t approach unknown dogs, and avoid certain breeds all together. But breed does not determine risk, any dog of any breed can bite. Also, people are bitten by dogs they know more often than unknown dogs. The major responsibility for preventing dog bites lies with dog owners, who must make sure their pets are properly restrained in public and securely confined at home.

How a Central New York Personal Injury Lawyer can help you?

The personal injury attorneys at Nicholas, Perot, Smith, Welch & Smith understand the responsibilities of dog ownership. We see the tragic results when owners ignore that responsibility and someone is attacked and mauled. When dog bite victims hire us, we make sure the dog owner knows that another responsibility is financial by filing a claim for monetary damages resulting from the incident.

We handle lots of dog bite cases in the Central New York area, and know how owners, or their insurers, try to avoid blame. So, we interview witnesses, gather medical records to evaluate the incident’s physical and emotional effects, calculate missed wages, and present a demand for compensation that’s appropriate for what you and your family suffered.

Things to Do After A Dog Bite or Dog Attack

Dog bite laws differ from one state to another, so make sure you hire an attorney well-versed in the laws governing Central New York, such as our team at Nicholas, Perot, Smith, Welch & Smith. Some states employ a one-bite rule that protects the owner on the first offense. In New York, dogs are evaluated on a case-to-case basis, and it’s helpful to include as much as possible about the incident in the lawsuit. Our dog bite injury lawyers recommend taking several steps to collect information following a dog bite injury, including:

1. Seek medical assistance immediately to treat the wound and avoid infection. Ensuring your well-being is top priority, and it creates a record of injuries sustained.
2. Identify the dog, including size, coloring and breed; also, get contact info for the owner.
3. Write down possible witnesses and their contact info.
4. Report the incident to local authorities, which alerts them to a possibly dangerous situation and creates a record.
5. Photograph the injury with some reference to indicate size.

Victims and witnesses can forget essential details, so gather information and write down what you recall right away. Providing accurate and relevant information to your lawyer saves time in preparing your case and makes it that much stronger.

If you or a loved one have suffered a dog bite, contact the experienced injury lawyers at Nicholas, Perot, Smith, Welch & Smith so we can start building a claim to get you the compensation you deserve.