Washington Animal Bite Attorneys

A 5-year-old boy was injured in a dog bite incident after a pit bull broke his chain and bit the boy twice as he was playing in a neighbor’s yard. According to a news report in the Henderson Daily News, the boy was playing with friends when the dog broke free from its chain, charged toward the boy and bit him on the head. The pit bull also bit the child on the arm. The boy’s mother said her son has been emotionally traumatized by the dog mauling and refuses to come back home from the hospital or go outside to play because he fears another attack.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), between the years 1979 and 1998 at least 25 breeds of dogs were involved in 238 human dog bite related fatalities. Pit bulls and rottweilers were involved in more than half of these fatalities – about 60 percent. Also, according to Dogsbite.org, a Seattle-based advocacy group for dog bite victims, of the 88 fatal dog attacks in the United States in a three-year period between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2008, 59 percent or 52 incidents involved pit bulls, followed by rottweilers (14 percent).

In Washington State, if your dog attacks or bites another pet or human being, you will be held responsible for the incident and injuries caused. Washington State dog bite law states that, as the dog owner, you are responsible for the pet. Washington’s “strict liability statute” states that the dog owner should be held liable for the attack whether or nor the owner is aware of the dog’s prior viciousness.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington dog attack, please contact the experienced Washington personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation and case evaluation. We can also send you our FREE brochure about dog bite cases, which has useful information to help you understand your legal rights and options as a victim. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://hendersondailynews.com/articles/2010/02/24/news/03pitbull.txt

Two newborn infants were killed in dog attacks – one in Georgia and the other in Minnesota – within the span of one week, according to news reports. One instance involved a pit bull mix and another involved a Siberian Husky. In both cases the parents had left the child unattended. The infants, in either case, could not be saved.

These are tragic cases, which remind us yet again to take certain safety precautions especially when it comes to protecting our children from dog bites. According to studies performed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, children are most often the victims of dog bites. Sometimes, it occurs unprovoked. Other times, it happens because children do not know how to behave around dogs. But in these cases, it happened because the parents trusted their dogs around their infants. In the Minnesota case, a news report states that the Siberian Husky was a known aggressive dog.

Seattle personal injury lawyers know that these are tragedies that can be entirely prevented. There are several steps you can take as a dog owner and as a parent to make sure such incidents never happen. First of all, make sure your dog is trained well. Dogs need mental and physical stimulation every day. If you ignore your dog when the baby comes along, then it might lead to problems. Dog owners should socialize their animals and familiarize them with different types of people and situations from a very young age.

If you have a new baby, get your dog used to the sounds and smells of babies. Watch out for warning signs from your dog. If your dog is already known to be aggressive or has bitten and injured a human being, you would be well-advised to remove your dog from your home. While a dog can be man’s best friend, your child is far more important than a dog.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington dog attack, please contact the experienced Washington personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation and case evaluation. We can also send you our FREE brochure about dog bite cases, which has useful information to help you understand your legal rights and options as a victim. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/newtonnews/headlines/85151672.html

Several recent studies relating to dog bites and dog attacks show that children are most commonly affected by such incidents. Most studies show that the median age of those bitten by dogs is 15 years. The highest incidence is among boys between 5 and 9 years old. The odds that a dog bite victim will be a child are 3.2 to 1, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Children are also more likely to sustain severe injuries and are more likely than adults to be bitten on the face, neck and head. Nearly 75 percent of dog bite injuries to children under 10 years old are facial injuries. Most children also require extensive reconstructive surgery to fix scars and psychological therapy to help them deal with the trauma of the dog attack.

However, please remember that you can help your child be prepared or help him or her prevent such a horrific attack. Make sure you teach your child the following safety tips and review them regularly. Here are a few safety tips provided by Kirk Bernard that you can share with your child:

• Never, ever provoke a dog
• Do not approach a strange or unfamiliar dog
• If you see a dog, do not run or scream
• If an unfamiliar dog approaches you, remain motionless, stand still where you are
• If you see a stray dog or loose dogs running around the neighborhood, report it to a grown-up
• Avoid making eye contact with a dog
• Never disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for its puppies
• If you are bitten, immediately report it to an adult

If your child has been bitten by a dog, please contact an experienced Washington dog bite lawyer to find out more about your legal rights. Please contact the Seattle dog bite lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. We always offer FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultations for Seattle dog bite victims. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE brochure about Washington dog bite cases with useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Please contact Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

A new program in King County is helping pit bull owners spay and neuter their pit bulls for free, thanks to a $50,000 grant from Petsmart charities. According to a King5 News report, the program is being offered by the Seattle Humane Society. Their funding covers the cost for 750 pit bulls or pit bull mixes to be spayed, neutered and vaccinated. Pit bulls and pit bull mixes constitute about 30 percent of animals found in shelters. More than 50 pit bull owners have already signed up for the program. If you are interested, please call 425-649-7560 to schedule an appointment for your pit bull.

Studies have shown that pit bulls tend to “act up” when they have not been spayed or neutered. Pit bulls have also been known to get extremely aggressive. A good number of pit bull owners do not fix their dogs because they breed them. However, this can turn out to be dangerous for the dog owner’s neighborhood. As an experienced Washington dog bite injury attorney, Kirk Bernard is familiar with how breeding dogs, especially pit bulls, are usually involved in more dog attacks than dogs that have been spayed or neutered.

Washington State has a strict liability statute when it comes to dog bites. What this means is that the dog owner is liable – whether or not the dog attack occurs on public or private property, and whether or not the dog owner was aware of the dog’s prior viciousness. According to the Revised Code of Washington Section 16.08.040: “The owner of any dog which shall bite any person while such person is in or on a public place or lawfully in or on a private place including the property of the owner of such dog, shall be liable for such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of such dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness.”

If you or a loved one is the victim of a dog attack, please contact an experienced Washington dog bite lawyer to find out more about your legal rights and options. Please contact the Seattle dog bite lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. We always offer FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultations for Seattle dog bite victims. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE brochure about Washington dog bite cases with useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Please contact Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.king5.com/news/Humane-Society-offering-free-pit-bull-spay-and-neuter-83248197.html

A woman sustained serious injuries to her hand after she tried to protect her pet during a dog attack. According to a news report, the 57-year-old woman was walking to the mailbox with her Sheltie when a neighbor’s pit bull broke through a fence and attacked her dog. The woman tried to protect her dog’s neck. When she attempted to separate the two animals, she was bitten and injured by the pit bull. The woman described the pain of the dog bite as similar to “having your hand stuck in a steel bear trap.” She suffered puncture wounds on her hand. Thankfully, she will not suffer permanent nerve damage.

Washington State has what is known as a strict liability statute when it comes to dog bite cases. This means that if your dog attacks someone else, you are responsible – period. This is true irrespective of whether the dog attack happens on private property or in a public place such as a park. Unless the victim was trespassing on the owner’s property or attacking the dog owner, the dog owner can be held liable for the animal attack and resulting injuries. Victims can seek compensation for medical expenses, lost earnings, cost of cosmetic surgery and even psychological therapy, as dog bite incidents can be rather traumatic.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a dog attack, please contact the Seattle dog bite lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. We always offer FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultations for Seattle dog bite victims. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington dog bite cases with useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Please contact Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=131948

I came across an article in the Seattle Times, which depicts what I’ve seen and known as a Washington personal injury attorney representing dog bite victims over the last two decades. It’s true – dog bite victims may suffer for long periods of time after the attack – both physically and emotionally. The dog attack probably lasts several seconds or sometimes, minutes. However, victims suffer for several years, if not for a lifetime, from long-term consequences such as disfigurement, physical pain, nerve damage and emotional shock and distress.

The article gives the example of a Spanaway woman who was attacked by a dog two years ago in Mountlake Terrace. She had to undergo a series of lifesaving operations. Then, she endured a series of reconstructive plastic surgeries. Physical pain aside, the emotional trauma was unbearable, according to the victim. Every time she looked at her body, she says, she relived the attack. Dog attacks also take a financial toll on these victims and their families because of the medical expenses, repeated surgeries and therapy.

If you are a dog bite victim in Washington State, you can seek compensation from the dog owner, whose negligence caused the attack. You could seek reimbursement for medical expenses, lost earnings, cost of hospitalization, reconstructive surgery and cost of psychological and physical therapy.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a dog attack, please contact the Seattle dog bite lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. We always offer FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultations for Seattle dog bite victims. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington dog bite cases with useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Please contact Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008254586_dogbitevictims11m.html

A UPS delivery man lost the tip of his right index finger after a dog bit him when he was on the job making his deliveries. According to a news report, the 50-year-old delivery man was injured when a 100-pound Rhodesian Ridgeback bit him on the hand as he was dropping off a package at a residence. The man began to place the packages at the front steps of the home when the dog lunged at the delivery man and bit his finger off.

Whatever the cause for the dog attack, Washington State imposes a “strict liability” on dog owners in the event of an animal attack. That means that the dog owner is responsible for the attack and the resulting injuries or wrongful death, whether or not the dog has attacked before or whether or not the dog owner has had knowledge of its viciousness in the past. This liability applies regardless of whether the dog attack occurs on public or private property. The only exception is when the dog bite victim is trespassing in the dog owner’s property and gets bitten. For example, a burglar who enters a property and gets bitten by a dog cannot sue the property owner.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a dog attack, please contact the Seattle personal injury lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. We always offer FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultations for Seattle dog bite victims. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington dog bite cases with useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Please contact Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.wiscnews.com/bnr/news/469583

A 67-year-old woman who was walking on a sidewalk suffered injuries caused by a bite from a dog on leash with a professional dog walker. According to a news report, the dog walker was walking two dogs at the time. Apparently, the dog did not bark and the woman had no warning that the animal was going to attack or bite her. The dog walker told police that he was distracted by a cell phone call as he approached the woman. The injured victim was bleeding from the bite. The dog was described as a “mixed breed” weighing 30 to 35 pounds.

In Washington State, a dog owner can be held liable for injuries caused by his or her pet. In this particular case, the dog walker, who was at the time caring for the dogs, could also be held responsible. In such cases, victims could seek compensation to cover any medical costs, lost wages and other damages.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington dog attack, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation and case evaluation. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about dog bite cases, which has useful information to help you understand your legal rights and options as a victim. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source: http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/2010/01/15/dogbitemmk0116.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=7

A dog owner will likely face charges after his pit bull attacked a father and his daughter over the weekend at a park. According to a CBS News report, the attack occurred when the daughter was walking her friend’s dog near her parents’ home. The pit bull first attacked the dog and then bit the girl and her father. The daughter suffered a broken finger while her father sustained puncture wounds. Officials expect that the dog’s owner will face criminal charges.

Washington State has a “strict liability statute” when it comes to dog attacks. What this means is that dog owners whose animals attack and injure another person can be held liable for the actions of their pets. The only exception to this law is when a dog attacks someone who is trespassing or trying to commit a crime on the owner’s property such as a burglar. Dog bite victims may seek compensation to cover the cost of medical expenses, cost of hospitalization, plastic surgery and other expenses related to the dog attack. If the dog fatally injures the victim, their family may file a wrongful death claim against the owner of the dog.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Washington dog attack, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys at The Bernard Law Group at 1-800-418-8282 or info@bernardlawgroup.com for a FREE comprehensive and confidential consultation and case evaluation. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about dog bite cases, which has useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options as a victim. Get in touch with Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://cbs4denver.com/local/pitbull.attack.father.2.1395738.html

A 5-year-old girl was seriously injured in a dog bite incident after a pit bull brutally attacked her. According to a news report, the girl, who was a guest in the home, was playing with a pit bull in the backyard when the dog suddenly attacked. The child’s 10-year-old stepbrother tried to hit the dog multiple times to get it off the girl, but he wasn’t successful. The boy then grabbed a knife and stabbed the animal several times. The dog still did not let go. The boy then got help from a neighbor who hit the dog with a folding chair and got it to release the girl. The girl sustained cuts to her neck and her face. Charges may be pending in connection with this dog attack.

All cities in Washington State have strict leash laws and dog owners who do not comply with leash laws or dangerous dog regulations can be held liable for any animal attacks or injuries. In Washington State, dog owners can be held liable for injuries caused whether their animal attacks someone on the owner’s property or on public property.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a dog attack, please contact the Seattle personal injury lawyers at The Bernard Law Group. We always offer FREE, comprehensive and confidential consultations for Seattle dog bite victims. Call us at 1-800-418-8282 or e-mail us at info@bernardlawgroup.com. We can also send you our FREE informational brochure about Washington dog bite cases with useful educational information to help you understand your legal rights and options. Please contact Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team today.

Source:http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/80320907.html