Bite Risks of Dangerous Dogs Highlighted by Norfolk Police Dog Shooting

The shooting of a vicious dog by police in Norfolk, Virginia (VA), serves again to remind the community of the potential for personal injury from dangerous dogs.

Animal control officers killed the dog, identified to dispatchers as a "'vicious' pit bull and boxer mixed breed dog blocking someone who was trying to get out of a vehicle," the Virginian-Pilot reported. The dog charged before being shot, according to the report.

Fortunately, nobody was injured in this incident. However, our experienced Virginia Beach-based personal injury attorneys have reported on and fought numerous cases of injuries caused by dogs. In some cases the victim can recover damages from the animal's owner. Virginia, (VA) along with 19 other states, has a "one bite rule,"  which usually prevents civil claims for money damages from being successful against an animal owner the first time an animal bites another person, if the attack was unintentional.

But the dog owner can be held liable if the injury lawyer can prove the dog has a history of biting or attacking people or the owner violated a law, such as the leash law, which led to the attack.

Sadly attacks by dogs can be very serious and even fatal. Our experienced personal injury lawyers recently on how a 7 month old baby was viciously attacked by a pit bull at his babysitter's home in Newport News, Virginia (VA)

The dog attack left the baby leaving the boy with severe facial and neck injuries.

According to DogsBite.org, 23 fatal dog attacks occurred in the United States in 2008. Pit bull type dogs were responsible for 65 percent of these deaths. In a 2009 article I looked at how these attacks are just the tip of the iceberg and more than 4 million people a year are bitten by dogs.

Dogs can be man's best friends but they needed to be treated with extreme caution. As experienced personal injury attorneys based in Virginia we can advise on what you could be compensated for if you are bitten by a dog. The dog owner could be responsible for damages including medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and the replacement of damaged property.

DM

See this video about a pit bull attack.