Dog bites can be catastrophic. You shouldn’t have to struggle with the consequences on your own if you’ve been attacked by a dog in Waynesboro, Georgia. You deserve compensation, and the experienced Waynesboro dog bite lawyers at Hawk Law Group can help you fight for maximum financial recovery. Call now at (706) 437-9122.
At Hawk Law Group, we’re top-rated Georgia trial attorneys with over 71 years of collective experience litigating cases across the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). Our determined legal representation and client-first strategies have helped us win tens of millions in settlements and verdicts.
Enlist the help of our top-rated legal team to make the most of your fight for compensation. We offer a free consultation. Call our Waynesboro law office to get started now.
How Hawk Law Group Can Help if You’ve Been Bitten by a Dog in Waynesboro, GA
Despite the fact that you have the right to seek compensation for your dog bite injuries, the road to recovery can be a challenge. You can force better results by hiring an experienced Waynesboro personal injury lawyer to take charge of your dog bite lawsuit.
Your choice of personal injury law firm matters, which is why Hawk Law Group should be your first call for help.
We’ve won tens of millions of dollars for our clients, including some of the highest verdicts and settlements in the area. When you ask for our help, you’ll get the transparent, honest legal representation you deserve and benefit from our law firm’s unrivaled resources.
Focus on recovering from your dog bite injuries and let us handle the rest:
- Investigate your dog bite and gather key pieces of evidence
- Determine liability for your resulting injuries or loved one’s wrongful death
- Enlist expert witnesses and specialists to weigh in as we build your case
- Determine what your dog bite injury case is worth
- File your claim with the dog owner’s insurance company and/or other liable parties
- Work to recover a life-changing settlement offer during negotiations
- Bring your dog bite lawsuit to a Burke County jury, if necessary
We know that dog bite injuries can be expensive to treat and cost you time at work. Our law firm doesn’t want you to avoid asking for help because you think you can’t afford it. That’s why our dog bite attorneys in Waynesboro work on contingency.
You don’t pay unless we win compensation for your dog bite injury case.
Call our Waynesboro, GA, law office to learn more. Your first assessment with our team is absolutely free.
Understanding Georgia Dog Bite Law
In Georgia, a dog’s owner can be strictly liable when their canine bites or attacks a person, regardless of the dog’s prior behavior.
Strict liability means there’s no need to prove that a dog’s owner was negligent in caring for or restraining its animal. Instead, liability attaches when it can be proven that a person was injured or killed because their dog bit them.
Ga. Code Ann., § 51-2-7 explains that “a person who owns or keeps a vicious or dangerous animal of any kind and who, by careless management or by allowing the animal to go at liberty, causes injury to another person” without provocation “may be liable in damages to the person so injured.”
Under the same statute, viciousness can be established by showing that a dog wasn’t leashed or lawfully restrained on the owner’s personal property in violation of state or local law. There’s no requirement to actually show that the dog has shown vicious propensities or attacked anyone else in the past.
Are Dog Bites Common in Georgia?
On any given day, roughly 1,000 people across the nation have to seek emergency medical treatment for serious injuries they’ve sustained from a dog bite. In total, more than 4.5 million people suffer injuries from dog bites annually. More than half of the nation’s dog bite victims are children, typically between the ages of 5 and 9.
According to at least one insurance company, Georgia has more reported dog bites than most states in the country. In 2021, Georgia ranked 9th in the nation for State Farm dog bite claims, with 108. That year, the insurance provider paid out over $3.3 million in damages to dog bite victims across the state.
Helping You Seek Compensation for Your Dog Bite Injuries
Some of the most commonly reported dog bite injuries in Georgia include:
- Puncture wounds
- Soft tissue injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Nerve damage
- Cuts and lacerations
- Traumatic brain injury
- Eye injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Crushing injury
- Infection and disease
- Amputation
- Degloving injury
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death
Don’t underestimate just how much of an impact a dog bite injury can have on your life. Once you’ve reported the dog bite to the local Waynesboro police, get yourself to the closest emergency room for prompt medical treatment. Medical care can help to reduce the chances of suffering severe, potentially life-threatening complications and also help you formally document your trauma.
What Damages Can Be Awarded to Waynesboro Dog Bite Victims?
As the victim of a dog attack in Waynesboro, Georgia, you’ll have the opportunity to file a legal claim for damages. Whether you seek benefits from an insurance company or sue a dog’s owner directly, compensatory damages can be awarded if you win your case.
Compensatory damages can fall into two categories, known as economic and non-economic awards.
Economic damages are paid to help you deal with the identifiable costs and expenses of your dog bite:
- Hospitalization, medication, surgery, and other current medical expenses
- Future medical bills related to prosthetics, medical devices, rehabilitation, and follow-up care
- Lost wages and income
- Disability
- Property damage
- Nursing assistance
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Costs of a funeral after a fatal dog bite in Waynesboro
Non-economic damages can help offset the hard-to-value experiences of being a dog bite victim, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Embarrassment
- Reduced quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Chronic physical pain
Punitive damages can also be sought when a dog bite lawsuit goes to trial. Georgia law gives jurors the right to award these additional damages if there’s convincing evidence of intentional misconduct or gross negligence.
Our dog bite attorneys in Waynesboro will aggressively seek all of the damages to which you’re entitled. We won’t let the defense dictate the terms of your case. Instead, we’ll build a solid claim backed by expert testimony, compelling facts, and persuasive facts. When it’s time to negotiate, we’ll force the insurance company to make you a fair settlement offer or take their chances against our top-rated litigators at trial.
Who’s Liable for a Dog Bite in Waynesboro?
Don’t assume the dog’s owner is the only one who might be liable for your dog bite injuries or a loved one’s wrongful death.
There are times when dog bite cases are also a matter of premises liability. When you lawfully enter someone else’s property – including businesses in Waynesboro, public property, or private property – the owner has a duty to protect you from hazards on the premises.
If the owner knows or has reason to believe there might be a dangerous dog on the premises, they have a responsibility to protect you and/or provide adequate warning.
Anything less can be considered negligence. If you suffer a dog bite because a property owner is negligent, they might be liable for a portion of your resulting damages.
Depending on where a dog attack occurs, you might have a legitimate claim against a:
- Landlord
- Business
- Pet store
- Dog sitter
- Hotel
- Government agency
Under Georgia’s comparative fault rules, a property owner can be liable up to the degree to which their negligence contributed to your dog bite injuries. The more responsibility they share for the dog attack, the more they might be on the hook for resulting damages.
Is There a Time Limit for Filing a Dog Bite Lawsuit in Georgia?
Most personal injury lawsuits, including dog bite claims, are subject to a two-year statute of limitations in the State of Georgia.
As a result, you’ll typically have up to two years from the date you were attacked by a dog to sue the owner or another liable party.
Once the statute of limitations runs out, you will lose the ability to assert your rights and demand justice for your life-changing injuries. However, there are exceptions that can change the time limit for some cases – contact our lawyers as soon as possible for help.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Waynesboro Dog Bite Lawyer
Don’t hesitate to call Hawk Law Group if you’ve been bitten by a dog in Waynesboro, Georgia. You may have the opportunity to hold the dog’s owner or another party liable for your resulting injuries or loved one’s tragic death. Our Waynesboro dog bite lawyers want to help you maximize your recovery.
Backed by decades of collective experience, our top-rated litigators have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in monetary awards. Now, we’re here to be your fiercest, most powerful advocate and fight to obtain the justice you need and deserve.
Reach out to our Waynesboro law office to get started. Your first consultation is free.
