<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Helvetica, Verdana">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Animal Lover182:
I recently was at a ladies house to look at a dog that i was interested in purchasing. It was a mastiff, about 1 year old. The dog was fine for most of the time. Before i left i reached down to pet the dog goodbye and it bit me in the face. Its head was bigger then mine. It grabbed a hold of my face and left 4 or 5 cuts behind. I have cuts on the bridge of my nose, under my eyelids, black eye, on cuts on top of my head. An ambulance was called as well as Animal Control. A report was filed with the ambulance attendants. After the scene i went to the doctor and got a tetnice shot. I was put on antibiotics. Now at night, i have nightmares of being attacked by dogs. This accident has made me think twice about getting another dog. My face is all cut up, and maybe scarred. My question to you is, if indeed this is a personal injurt claim, (which i believe it definatly is) how much is a lawsuit worth? $5,000 to $10,000? $15,000+? More? Thank you for your advice on this issue and i hope to communicate with you soon. Thank you.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
My response:
Facial scarring? Bleeding? Stitches? Pain and suffering? Future plastic surgery? And the list goes on. Your case has a much greater value than you can imagine, and far greater than what you have estimated in this post.
Your State is a "strict liability" State. That means, there are no, or very few, defenses to this incident; the owner is on the hook automatically. The only real fight in litigation would be the amount of damages you would be entitled to, either by settlement or judgment. Below is your Statute governing this incident:
4:19-16. Liability of owner regardless of viciousness of dog
"The owner of any dog which shall bite a person while such person is on or in a public place, or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, shall be liable for such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of such dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness."
Get to an attorney as soon as you can.
IAAL
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[This message has been edited by I AM ALWAYS LIABLE (edited July 27, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by I AM ALWAYS LIABLE (edited July 27, 2000).]
