Understanding Liability in Mississippi Dog Bite Cases
Dog bites are among the most frightening personal injury claims we see. People say that dogs are man’s best friend, but a serious dog bite is enough to leave a victim traumatized for the rest of their life. Since dog bite laws vary from state to state, it’s hard to know your rights and legal options if you haven’t specifically looked into your area’s dog bite laws.
Learn more about what Mississippi law has to say about dog bites, and if you’ve suffered an injury, call Reeves & Mestayer at 1-855-558-2977.
What’s a “One-Bite Law?”
The one-bite law is widely known, and it’s so misunderstood and widespread that people think that dogs everywhere get “one free bite.” The fact is that less than half of the country has a “one free bite” law. States with this law do not allow victims to recover financial losses from a dog owner if they didn’t previously know that their dog was violent or capable of attacking. This is no comfort to victims who need stitches, surgical reconstruction for a disfiguring injury, and therapy to address their new severe dog phobia.
Unfortunately, Mississippi is a state with a one-bite law. Unless the owner had previous knowledge that their dog was a danger to others, it’s hard to hold them liable for damage caused by their dog. This doesn’t mean, though, that you have no chance of recovering compensation. It’s important to understand the limitations of this law and what it means for your personal injury claim.
How Can Owners Know Their Dog is Dangerous?
The most obvious reason someone knows that a dog is dangerous is because it bites someone. Once a dog has bitten someone, the owner can be held liable for any subsequent bites. However, since not all bites are reported, you may have to do some digging to find out if the dog who bit you has a history of biting.
There are other ways to indicate a propensity for violence. If the dog has been trained as a guard dog or K9 dog, it has specifically been taught how to attack others and take them to the ground. At that point, it’s obvious that they are capable of biting people. A dog may also be known to be violent if it has lunged at people in the past, even if it did not make contact. For that reason, you may want to talk to others who have experience with the dog in question. Delivery people, the mail delivery person for that house, and neighbors may all have valuable insight.
You can also look into where the person got the dog. If they adopted the dog from a shelter and the shelter reported that it had a bite history, that is an obvious sign that the owners should have known it could be dangerous.
Fighting for Compensation After a Bite
Even if the dog hasn’t bitten someone before, you could still be able to recover compensation. If the owners were negligent, you could be owed financial damages. This often means violating a local leash law or a law that prevents dogs from running free. If a dog runs free and bites someone, the owner has clearly violated their duty of care to the public as a whole.
Still, it may be an uphill battle to get the compensation you deserve. Owners can be fiercely protective of their dogs, to the point that they ignore efforts to get the dog’s name or photo. They may even hide the dog away or transport it to a family member’s house until they think danger has passed. That’s why it’s so important to talk to a Biloxi personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after a dog bite. They can help you preserve important evidence and tell you if you have a valid claim.
Explore Your Legal Options with Reeves & Mestayer
Have you suffered a dog bite that has left you injured and traumatized? Let’s look into your case, learn about your legal options, and come up with a plan. Give our team a call at 1-855-558-2977 or fill out our online contact form to set up a consultation with our team.
