It’s a doggone problem that really isn’t funny at all. Dog bites. A Center for Disease Control study estimates that 4.7 million dog bites occur in the United States each year, 800,000 of those bites require medical care. This means 1 out of every 69 people will be bitten by a dog this year.
If you’ve been bitten by a dog and suffered injury that required medical attention you may be wondering what the next steps would be to collect your deserved compensation.
Montana law, both statutory and common, cover dog bite injuries. A three year time limit from the injury to the filing sets the perimeter in which a suit must begin; otherwise, your claim may be barred.
A dog owner is liable per Montana Statutes section 27-1-715 if:
“The owner of a dog that without provocation bites a person while the person is on or in a public place or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, located within an incorporated city or town is liable for damages that may be suffered by the person bitten regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner’s knowledge of the viciousness.
A person is lawfully upon the private property of the owner within the meaning of this section when the person is on the property in the performance of any duty imposed upon the person by the laws of this state or by the laws or postal regulations of the United States of America or when the person is on the property as an invitee or licensee of the person lawfully in possession of the property.”
With the help of your attorney, those injured by a dog outside of the afore listed statute can still pursue compensation per Montana’s negligence law. This kind of claim would require the injured person to offer evidence that the dog’s owner failed to pointedly restrain their dog that caused the injury. This is also the kind of claim that would likely be pursued if someone was injured by a dog by a mechanism other than a dog bite.
If you have been injured by a dog and fit the conditions outlined above, contact SpoonGordon law today where one of our personal injury experts can help you in the next steps to the compensation you deserve.