Many people in New Haven regularly encounter dogs and have positive experiences, but it is also possible for dogs to attack unexpectedly, biting and causing severe injuries in some cases. If you or a family member have been bitten by someone else’s dog, you likely have grounds for legal recourse, and an experienced New Haven dog bite lawyer at Bartlett & Grippe can provide the legal representation you need to navigate your case successfully.
The attorneys at Bartlett & Grippe, LLC have successfully assisted many past clients with their dog bite claims and a wide variety of other personal injury cases in New Haven and surrounding areas of Connecticut. When another party’s dog has bitten and injured you or a loved one, it is important to know which state laws apply to the situation and how you can ensure accountability and compensation for your damages.
Our team will meet with you to review the details of your experience, learn how the attack has affected your life, and assess the scope of damages you could potentially recover from the owner of the dog that bit you. With our help you can approach your case with confidence and have a greater chance of maximizing your recovery. We will help you build a cohesive case aimed at securing maximum compensation for your injuries
In order to succeed with any type of personal injury case in Connecticut, the injured plaintiff must identify the party responsible for causing their injury and then show that their actions directly caused the plaintiff’s claimed damages. However, there are special rules that apply to certain types of personal injury cases. In Connecticut, a strict liability rule applies to dog bite cases, meaning a dog owner is liable for any damages their pet causes to others.
There are some exceptions to this, however. For example, strict liability would not apply if the victim of the attack was trespassing on the dog owner’s private property or if the victim provoked the dog to attack in some way. It is also possible for a dog owner to be liable for a bite and related damages if they were negligent in the handling of their pet. Your New Haven dog bite lawyer can determine which statues apply to your case.
State law will require the dog to be quarantined after it has injured someone. The dog will undergo a medical evaluation to determine whether it carries disease and/or poses a threat to public health and safety due to its temperament. In most cases, dogs are returned to their owners after these examinations, but if a good is deemed to be unreasonably dangerous, the court may order it to be euthanized.
A personal injury case is a civil suit in which an injured plaintiff seeks compensation for the damages they suffered due to another party’s actions. If you have grounds to file a personal injury claim against the owner of the dog that bit you, you could potentially recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost income, and property damage. Additionally, you would have the right to seek compensation for your pain and suffering.
It can be challenging to think of putting intangible losses like physical pain and psychological trauma into monetary terms, but this is sometimes the largest portion of the plaintiff’s total recovery. Dog attacks may not only result in extremely painful injuries; they may also cause long-term medical complications, and the victim may struggle with mental health conditions as a result of their traumatic experience.
An experienced New Haven dog bite lawyer can help you accurately calculate the economic damages you are eligible to claim, and they will be invaluable when it comes to determining appropriate pain and suffering compensation to seek from the defendant. Generally, the severity of the plaintiff’s injuries and scope of long-term harm they suffered will determine how much they can potentially secure in pain and suffering compensation.
In some cases, dog attacks prove fatal. If your family member died from a dog attack, you may have grounds to file a wrongful death claim against the dog’s owner. This type of personal injury case functionally replaces the personal injury case the victim could have filed if they had survived. However, a wrongful death suit seeks compensation for the losses suffered by the family of the victim.
It’s possible for a wrongful death suit to yield compensation for funeral and burial expenses, lost financial support, damages to the estate of the deceased, and compensation for the family’s pain and suffering. Many other variables can potentially influence the final outcome of a wrongful death case, so it is important to have a skilled attorney representing you to ensure the greatest chance of success.
Losing a loved one to an unexpected fatal dog attack is a tragic experience, and it is natural to wonder what legal options you and your family have in this situation. The team at Bartlett & Grippe excel at resolving complex wrongful death cases and have helped many families in the New Haven area with these cases. We are ready to apply this experience to your case.
When you choose the team at Bartlett & Grippe to represent you in a dog bite case, you are investing in a dedicated legal advocate with the skills and experience necessary to handle the most challenging cases in Connecticut. Our firm will work diligently to gather the evidence necessary for proving fault and for recovering maximum compensation for your losses.
We take personal injury cases in New Haven on contingency, so there are no upfront fees for our representation, and you will only pay a fee if we win your case. This policy ensures you have access to the legal counsel you need when you need it most. You have a limited time in which to file your case, so contact Bartlett & Grippe today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced New Haven dog bite lawyer and learn how we can help with your recovery.