You may feel comfortable approaching a dog that is seemingly harmless, and rather friendly. However, just when you least expect it, you may be made a victim of a serious attack. Read on to discover whether you can take legal action for your dog attack injury and how a seasoned Toronto dog bite lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help you strategize.
What are the common causes of dog attacks?
To reiterate, a dog attack might occur at what seems to be random times. Below are examples of common causes:
- A dog may feel scared, threatened, or startled, and therefore instinctively, adversely react with violence.
- A dog may feel protective over a child, toy, or food they have “claimed,” and therefore instinctively, adversely react with violence.
- A dog may be elderly, sick, or injured, and therefore attack in a desperate effort to have their own space.
- A dog may get too rambunctious during play time, and therefore bite another pet or person by accident.
- A dog may have had an insufficient amount of training, and therefore believe that biting and attacking are acceptable responses.
- A dog may have been abused or neglected by their owner, and therefore hold biting and attacking as natural, defensive responses.
Can I sue for a dog attack injury in Ontario?
Rest assured, there is such a thing as the Ontario Dog Owners’ Liability Act. Essentially, this Act holds that a dog owner is responsible if their dog bites or otherwise attacks another pet or person. Thus, you may be allowed to sue a dog owner in the event of a dog attack. To confirm your eligibility to file a dog attack injury claim, you may have to prove the following circumstances as true:
- The dog owner owed you a duty of care in ensuring that their dog was safe before allowing you to approach them.
- The dog owner knew, or should have reasonably known, about their dog’s propensity for violence before allowing you to approach them.
- The dog owner breached their duty of care by allowing you to get bitten or attacked by their dog.
- You incurred serious injuries and damages as a direct result of being bitten or attacked by their dog.
Before you bring your case forward, you must ensure that you were not in the wrong whatsoever. That is, you must affirm that the dog bite or attack was not prompted by your trespassing into private property, provoking the dog, or otherwise. If not, the amount of damages you may recover might be reduced, at the very least.
You cannot ignore your potential personal injury claim for much longer. Instead, you must retain the services of a competent Ontario personal injury lawyer from Merricks Law Group, P.A. today.
