A dog bite is an interesting legal case. A dog bite is interesting because there is a dog involved but the dog doesn’t have much culpability. In most cases, the dog is treated as an extension of its owner or as property. If you had a malfunctioning piece of machinery on your property that injured someone, you would be culpable and not the machinery. The same is true of a dog. However, there are a few cases in which a dog bite lawyer might successfully argue that the dog is not at fault. Typically, that’s the case if the judge finds that the dog was provoked to attack. So, you need a dog bite attorney if you are bitten or if your dog bites someone.
Prosecuting the Case
If you are bitten by a dog, you’ll need to hire a dog bite lawyer nearby to pursue the case. Hampilos & Associates, LTD has several quality attorneys who can help you argue the case. You will need to prove that you were in fact bitten, you’ll need to prove that you were injured, and you’ll need to prove that you did not provoke the dog.
Provoking the dog is the most common defense that a dog bite lawyer in Rockford, IL will use. The provocation is used to justify the attack. If you were in a dog’s yard or threatened it deliberately, the dog would be justified in defending itself.
Defending Yourself
If you were the person bitten, you need to hire a personal injury attorney close to you. Look for someone who is also a trip and fall attorney or an auto accident attorney. This means that they have experience with a range of injuries.
You might need a dog bite attorney if your dog bit someone as well. If you need to argue that your dog was justified in the way it behaved, you need a lawyer.
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