New Jersey ranks ninth in the country for the number of claims for dog bites. It has 699 claims annually, each costing about $48000. Dogs may be man’s best friends, which is why they account for 63% of the 67% of household pets in the country. Unfortunately, they are not everyone’s best friend, which explains why about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs annually.
New Jersey dog bite law
New Jersey is a strict liability state. That means that if a dog bites someone, the owner is strictly liable. Whether or not the dog was provoked and whether or not the owner used reasonable care to restrain their dog, the owner will be liable for the injuries caused to the dog bite victim.
What do you do if you’ve been bitten by a dog?
Any injury can be traumatic but a dog bite can be especially scarring as it can take time to remove oneself from the situation and that only adds to the severity of the physical and emotional injury. It is most likely that the victim will need extensive medical treatment for their injuries, and may even then have scars that remind them of their experience.
Medical treatment for dog bites can become constantly over time and people have most likely not accounted for those expenses in their budget. One of the ways those medical expenses can be recouped is by filing a personal injury or pet owner negligence lawsuit. An experienced attorney can discuss one’s options with them and how to get the compensation they need to move forward in their life.