Dog Bites: What To Do

Mans best friend, until they’re not. Ohio ranks #2 in dog bite claims. The average cost per claim was $21,983. What will you do if you or a loved one it bit by a dog? In the state of Ohio, you can report a dog bite to the health commissioner for the district where the bite occurred, where they will then quarantine the dog until it is determined to be without rabies. You also have the option of filing a police report. In the event that the dog owner does not have homeowners insurance or you are unhappy with the agreement that is reached, you are able to file a lawsuit against the owner of the dog. In that situation you have two options, a common law and Ohio statue. In common law, dogs have “one free bite” and you would have to prove the owners of the dog knew the animal was vicious and thus mishandled the dog. Under Ohio statutory, the dog gets no free pass, as long as it was not being teased or baited and the victim was not trespassing, and the owner is responsible for the damage the dog caused. The benefit to common law cases is that you can obtain compensation for punitive damages, whereas under Ohio Statutory you cannot. In the event that you or a loved one are bitten by a dog, please call Russell Flickinger or Justin Flickinger at 614-944-5055 for a free consultation to discuss your case. With over 30 years of experience, Flickinger Legal Group, LLC has the knowledgeable and dedication to getting you compensated for a tragedy such as this.

The Flickinger Legal Group, LLC is a personal injury law firm that resides at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. We are dedicated to helping you with your dog bite, car accident, or slip and fall injury. We are also bikers ourselves, and thus are proud to serve the motorcycle community as motorcycle accident attorneys.

Sources:

https://www.ohiobar.org/ForPublic/Resources/LawYouCanUse/Pages/LawYouCanUse-652.aspx

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/09/ohio_ranks_no_2_in_dog_bite_cl.html