If you or a loved one has been attacked and bitten by a dog in Fort Worth, Texas, it is important to seek legal advice from an experienced Fort Worth dog bite lawyer. Dog bites can lead to serious injuries, sometimes leaving permanent scars and other debilitating effects.
The laws in Texas regarding animal attacks are complex and vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The attorneys at Zinda Law Group can file a bite injury claim against the dog owner and handle negotiations with the insurance company while you heal.
Our law firm provides a free initial consultation so that you can discover which bite laws protect you, identify the liable parties, and estimate the value of your claim. When you are ready, our Fort Worth personal injury attorneys are here for you.
Injured Person Dog Bite Injury Checklist
Follow these steps to safeguard your legal rights and your ability to seek compensation for your injuries if you have been bitten by a dog:
Call Animal Control
If you are bitten by a dog, you should immediately call Animal Control to report the incident, especially if the dog still poses an immediate threat to others. Animal Control should be able to secure the dog and quarantine it while the incident is investigated.
Seek Medical Attention
You should seek medical attention as soon as possible after a dog bite. Dog bites can result in serious injuries. Even bites that appear to be relatively minor in severity can result in an infection that could become life-threatening.
Medical professionals may ensure the wound is properly cleaned and shut, along with providing necessary antibiotics. In some cases, you may also need a rabies shot. Having your injury examined and treated by a physician not only helps to ensure your recovery from the attack but also provides documentation of your injuries.
Document Evidence
It will be important to have as much evidence as possible to support your claim. You should keep a written record of the events surrounding the incident and take photos or videos of your injuries and the scene of the incident.
Be sure to record the events that led up to the dog bite, including the dog’s behavior, whether or not it was properly restrained, and your actions before the incident occurred. If there are any witnesses to the incident, you should be sure to obtain their contact information.
Consult a Fort Worth Dog Bite Attorney
A Fort Worth dog bite lawyer may help you determine what actions you may be able to take after being bitten by a dog. An attorney may also investigate your case and gather evidence to prove that the dog’s owner had knowledge of past dangerous behavior or that the owner behaved negligently by failing to secure the dog properly.
Your attorney may be able to help you seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
File Your Dog Bite Claim Before the Deadline Expires
In Texas, the statute of limitations is two years for personal injury claims, meaning you will have two years from the date of the dog bite to file a claim. This time limit for filing a claim makes it crucial to contact an attorney as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline.
Determining the full scope of your injuries and how they might affect your life might take some time. It could take some time to thoroughly investigate your case to determine who might be at fault and how much money you might be entitled to. The amount of time you have to file a claim may also be further reduced by insurers delaying the processing of your claim.
You can increase the likelihood that your claim will be submitted within this legal deadline by speaking with a dog bite injury lawyer in Fort Worth as soon as possible. Remember that the statute of limitations may not start for young victims of dog bites until they turn 18.
John (Jack) Zinda
Founder / CEO
Over 100 years of combined experience representing injured victims across the country.
Available 24 / 7|Free ConsultationCompensation the Responsible Party May Owe You
If you have been bitten by a dog in Fort Worth, you might be entitled to compensation from the person or company at fault. Damages of both an economic and non-economic nature may be included.
Economic damages include things like medical expenses, loss of income, and property damage that can be valued financially. Non-economic damages are meant to compensate for the psychological and bodily pain the attack caused you.
These losses could result in physical discomfort, emotional distress, deformity, and a loss of enjoyment of life. Whether or not your injuries are temporary or permanent will affect how much compensation you receive.
Neil Solomon
Partner
Real results matter. We do not get paid unless we win your case.
Available 24 / 7|Free ConsultationWhat Is the One-bite Rule?
In Texas, if you have been bitten by a dog, your Fort Worth dog bite lawyer may be able to use the “one bite rule” to hold the owner of the dog liable.
The Texas Supreme Court established the “one bite rule” in the Marshall v. Ranne case, where the Court announced that a dog owner could be held strictly liable for any damages caused by a dog known to be dangerous, such as if it had ever bitten someone before.
Despite the common term for the rule being “one bite,” the dog does not necessarily have to have bitten a person previously for the rule to apply. If it can be demonstrated that the dog’s owner should have been aware that the dog was dangerous or had vicious tendencies, the dog owner can be held liable for the dog’s actions.
For example, suppose a dog has behaved aggressively in the past, such as chasing and growling at people, even if it did not ultimately bite them. In that case, this may be evidence that can be used to demonstrate that the owner had knowledge of the dog’s violent tendencies – allowing the owner to be held strictly liable for the dog bite under Texas law.
Strict liability means it would not be necessary to prove the dog’s owner was negligent in their handling of the dog for them to be found liable. Under strict liability, the dog owner cannot claim that the victim did something to entice or provoke the dog to bite them as a defense.
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Jason Aldridge
Attorney
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Available 24 / 7|Free ConsultationTexas Dog Injury Laws for Attack Victims
Sec. 6-13 of the Fort Worth Code of Ordinances, dog owners are required to keep their dogs within a secure enclosure of at least 48 inches in height, which separates the dog from people and other animals not belonging to the same owner. If the dog is a breed that has been declared aggressive, the fencing must be at least 72 inches in height.
Enclosures should be constructed of an appropriate material approved by the Animal Control Office and should be constructed so as to prevent the animal from escaping. When taken off the property, such as for a walk, dogs must be restrained at all times, meaning that the dog must be on a leash and accompanied by its owner.
In addition to the “one bite rule” established by the Texas Supreme Court, Sec. 6-1 defines an “aggressive dog” as any dog that has:
- Repeatedly attacked and injured other domestic animals within the same enclosure, except for basic interaction and play among other dogs
- Repeatedly bitten at least one person who was lawfully inside the dog’s enclosure
- Repeatedly attempted to dig under, climb over, break, chew through, or otherwise escape from the dog’s enclosure in an attempt to chase, attack, or harass a person or other domestic animal.
Your lawyer may be able to use any available evidence of these behaviors to hold the dog owner liable for your injuries from a dog attack.
Cole Gumm
Attorney
We are here to ensure you won’t have to face this difficult time alone.
Available 24 / 7|Free ConsultationHow Can My Lawyer Prove My Dog Bite Claim?
If the dog’s owner was negligent in how they handled their dog, such as failing to have the dog properly restrained as required by law or failing to have an appropriate enclosure installed, you may still be able to pursue compensation for your puncture wounds even if they were caused by a dog that the owner was unaware was dangerous.
The following components will typically need to be shown in order to effectively prosecute a negligence claim, even though they are more complicated than a strict responsibility claim:
Ownership
It must first be proven that the at-fault party had ownership or possession of the dog to hold them liable for any injuries caused by the dog biting someone.
Duty of Care
To prove negligence, as with most personal injury claims, it must be shown that the dog owner had a responsibility to take certain precautions to prevent the dog from biting anyone, such as ensuring the dog was on a leash or properly secured within a required enclosure.
Breach of Duty
Once it has been proven that the dog’s owner had a duty to take reasonable care and prevent the dog from biting anyone, it must next be proven that the owner failed to take the precautions that would have prevented a dog bite from occurring.
Causation
Finally, you must prove that the owner’s failure to take precautions was the proximate cause of the victim’s injuries, meaning that if the owner had taken these precautions, the dog bite would not have occurred.
In negligence claims, the dog’s owner may claim that the dog was provoked into attacking or biting the victim. Behavior that can entice a dog to bite includes acts such as pulling a dog’s tail, throwing objects at the dog, yelling at the dog, or hitting the dog.
This may result in a situation where it appears to be your word against that of the dog owner. A Fort Worth lawyer specializing in dog bite attacks may be able to help prove that the dog was not provoked before attacking you and establish the dog owner’s negligence.
How Zinda Law Group May Help
If you or a loved one has been bitten by a dog, you could qualify for compensation for your severe injuries and traumatic experience. Dog bites often result in large medical bills and time off from work in addition to the physical pain and suffering that a victim may endure.
The skilled attorneys at Zinda Law Group will assist with conducting the liability investigation, preserving evidence, speaking to witnesses, and communicating with the insurers or animal owners. If we are unable to settle your claim, we are prepared to go to court.
Dog bite claims can be complex and difficult to pursue on your own, but our personal injury law firm may be able to help you through this process by seeking a Fort Worth dog bite settlement on your behalf.
Get a Case Evaluation from Zinda Law Group
Our experienced Fort Worth dog bite lawyers at Zinda Law Group may help you with your claim. We assist our clients in seeking the maximum compensation they may be entitled to after they or a loved one has been bitten or attacked by a dog.
Contact our top-rated attorneys today for a free consultation, as meetings with our staff are required. You do not pay anything unless we can win your personal injury claim. That’s our No Win, No Fee guarantee.
Our Awards
AWARDED TO JOHN C. (JACK) ZINDA BY THE NATIONAL TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (2016-2020)
AWARDED TO JOHN C. (JACK) ZINDA (2009, 2011-2012, 2014-2021), & NEIL SOLOMON (2020-2021)
AWARDED TO JACK ZINDA (2016-2020)
LIFETIME MEMBERS JOHN C. (JACK) ZINDA
Jason Aldridge
Attorney
We have successfully represented clients in a wide variety of cases across the country.
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