Jami S. Oliver voted 2024 “Lawyer of the Year”, Columbus, OH

Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs by Best Lawyers in America

Jami S. Oliver also named Best Lawyers 2024 in three areas of practice:
Litigation – Labor & Employment, Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, and Product Liability Law – Plaintiffs

Physical And Emotional Injuries In Dog Bite Cases

| Dog Bite

Dog bites are serious. Period. Every dog bite victim should immediately go to the Emergency Room. As outlined below, animal attacks often cause internal injuries which have few visible symptoms. Additionally, dog bites have high infection rates.

Dog bite victims have several legal options in the Buckeye State. Ohio has a very broad strict liability law. Dog owners could be responsible for dog attack damages as a matter of law. Ohio also has a one-bite rule (the owner knew the dog was dangerous, but didn’t properly control the animal), ordinary negligence, and negligence per se.

Every legal options has pros and cons. Only a top-notch Columbus personal injury lawyer can sort through all these alternatives, find the one that best fits your situation, and obtain maximum compensation for your serious injuries in court.

Physical Wounds

When a dog knocks you down, it can cause severe broken bones, head injuries, and other serious wounds. That’s especially true if, as is often the case, the victim is a small child and the animal is a large, aggressive dog.

The attack itself normally causes severe surface lacerations and wounds, not to mention deep puncture wounds. These surface lacerations often require extensive, and costly, treatment at a regional trauma center. The puncture wounds often cause slow internal bleeding that’s hard to spot and harder to stop.

Furthermore, dog bites have very high infection rates, such as rabies. The owner of the dog is usually legally responsible for such injuries, especially if the owner failed to properly inoculate, or vaccinate, the animal. Alternatively, the doctor or hospital could be responsible for negligently allowing an infection to set in. A Columbus personal injury attorney must normally file a separate claim to obtain compensation for these injuries.

This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.

Emotional Wounds

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the most common emotional injury in dog bite claims, once again especially if the victim is a small child. Childhood PTSD is difficult to diagnose and treat.

Most professionals only work with adult PTSD patients. They cannot recognize PTSD in children. Specifically, these well-meaning professionals often can’t distinguish between post-traumatic stress, a normal response to a traumatic event, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is a specific kind of brain injury.

Attorneys can often connect victims with professionals who focus in certain areas, like physical and emotional dog bite injuries in children. As a result, the professional can get a head start on injury treatment.

This head start is very important in childhood PTSD claims. Medications used to treat this brain injury can be very strong and have powerful side-effects, especially among children. So, the normal treatment regimen may be ineffective. Modifying this approach is often a matter of trial and error.

Attorneys can also connect victims with professionals who, in some cases, charge nothing upfront for their professional services.

Count on a Diligent Franklin County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation when they have been attacked, mauled, or bitten by a dog. For a free consultation with an experienced Columbus dog bite lawyer, contact the Oliver Law Office. We do not charge upfront legal fees in these matters. Call us now at (614)-220-9100 or contact us online to schedule your case evaluation and to learn more about your legal options.

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