Leesburg Dog Bite Attorneys
Whether you were attacked by a vicious dog or bitten by the neighbor’s typically complacent poodle, a dog bite can be serious, and it can have lasting consequences on your health and overall state of being. At Simms Showers, LLP, our Leesburg dog bite attorneys believe that the victim of a dog bite should know their legal rights. We advocate for dog bite victims in Virginia and help them achieve the compensation they need and deserve to cover the cost of medical expenses, lost wages, and even pain and suffering that resulted from the dog bite incident.
“One Bite” Law
Virginia has a “one bite” law that allows a dog to get away with one bite without many consequences for the owner. This law can make it difficult for dog bite victims to recover compensation for any damages that stemmed from their dog bite. Furthermore, Virginia is one of the only states without a dog bite statute, and each case’s outcome is vastly dependent upon the outcomes of the cases before it.
With that in mind, Virginia does have a dangerous dog statute. This statute expressly states that if a dog owner has knowledge of previous vicious behavior, and if the courts find the dog to be dangerous, the owner must register the dog as a dangerous dog with the local animal control officer. They must then obtain a dog tag that warns individuals of the dog’s dangerous character and ensure that the dog wears the tag on its collar at all times. Lastly, the dog’s owner must ensure that their dog is registered in the Virginia Dangerous Dog Registry.
Owner Negligence
Even if a dog is not registered as “dangerous,” and even if the dog has never bitten or harmed anyone before, you may still be able to recover damages from the dog’s owner. However, in order to do so, you must prove that the owner was negligent in its care and handling of the dog. This means that the owner failed to properly restrain the dog, and that this failure of responsibility is what resulted in the dog bite. If the victim can prove negligence on the dog owner’s part, then the dog owner would be liable for the dog bite and damages that resulted.
Consult a Leesburg Dog Bite Attorney
If you are the victim of a dog bite in Virginia, you may have a rough road ahead of you in recovering compensation for your injuries. However, with an experienced Leesburg dog bite attorney advocating on your behalf, you stand the chance of winning your claim and the settlement you seek. To begin establishing your dog bite case today, contact Simms Showers, LLP at 703-457-1793 to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced Leesburg attorneys today.
