Hudson Dog Bite Lawyer

Hudson Dog Bite Lawyers

If a dog in Hudson bit you or a loved one, you may recover compensation. Dog bite cases can be complicated and usually require the help of an experienced and knowledgeable Hudson dog bite attorney to fight for your rights.

Consult a member of our team to discuss the best course of action for seeking monetary recovery after a dog attack.

At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we understand that dog bites and attacks are not minor things, but medically dangerous on many levels and emotionally traumatic. We know the resulting injuries can saddle you with tremendous debt.

But we know how to pursue these cases. We can play a key role in your overall recovery. If you call us now, we can get started right away.

Dog Attacks in Hudson

The Wisconsin legislature has taken a clear stance on dog bite liability. The law lays out the penalties a dog owner is subject to in the event their dog injures someone.

Importantly, the Wisconsin dog bite statute makes it clear that dog owners are strictly liable in any situation in which their dog injures someone; while a bite qualifies, so does any other injury that results from the dog’s actions.

Strict liability means that dog owners are liable for their dog’s actions regardless of whether the owners behave negligently. If a dog harmed you, its owner is automatically liable for your injuries under the law.

Liability for Injuries

The Wisconsin statute on dog attacks differentiates between an owner who is on notice that their pet has caused unprovoked harm before and an owner who is unaware that their dog has a propensity to bite. An owner who knew that their dog had bitten or attacked someone before is subject to larger fines and may owe you, the dog bite victim, more compensation as well.

The Wisconsin statute specifies that:

• If an owner did not know that their dog had a propensity to bite, they are liable to the victim for the full amount of damages their dog caused.
• If the owner knew that their dog had bitten in the past and the dog bit and broke the victim’s skin, the victim is eligible to seek two times the full amount of damages they have suffered in compensation from the dog’s owner.

Statutory Penalties

In addition to owing the dog attack victim compensation directly, dog owners are also subject to civil penalties. The penalties delineated in the statute are simply a means of punishing the owner for the dog’s actions. An owner must pay consequences for the harm their dog caused to property, people, or another animal.

The statute states that:

• If an owner had no prior notice of the dog’s aggressive behavior, they can be fined a minimum of $50 up to a maximum of $2500.
• If an owner had prior notice of a dog causing injury or damage, they can be fined a minimum of $200 up to a maximum of $5000.

Putting Down a Dangerous Animal

The Wisconsin statute also describes the situations that may warrant a dog being put down due to its aggressive behavior. These are circumstances in which a dog cannot be rehabilitated and will continue to pose a danger to the public.

Under the statute, the injured person, the parent of an injured minor child, or the owner of a domestic animal that was attacked by the dog can seek a court order to have a dog put down.

The injured person must prove that:

1. The dog caused serious injury to a person or domestic animal on two separate occasions off the owner’s property, without reasonable cause; and
2. The dog’s owner was notified or knew before the second injury that the dog caused the first injury.

Your Rights After a Dog Bite in Hudson

You have the right to seek compensation for your injuries and damages if a dog attacked you or a loved one in Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s dog laws delineate who is responsible for your injuries and the damages that may be available to you after a dog attack, but fighting for the compensation you deserve is complicated. There are certain steps you should take after a dog bite to protect your rights and gather the necessary evidence to pursue compensation for your damages.

Call for help

Once you are safe from immediate attack, you must call for medical help and assistance from law enforcement. Calling the police after a dog attack allows the police to secure the dog if it is still a threat to the community and complete an official report about the situation. The police can also help you find out who the dog’s owner is and can provide you with the identifying information necessary to proceed with a claim or lawsuit against them.

Gather evidence

If you are physically able to do so and you are in a safe location, take a moment to gather any available evidence about the dog and the attack. If the dog is still in the vicinity, you may want to take photographs of the dog as well as the area where the attack occurred. If you are visibly injured, video or photographs of those injuries can be beneficial to your case.

Reach out to an experienced Hudson dog bite attorney

Pursuing compensation after a dog bite can be complicated, especially if the dog owner tries to deny liability or blame you for provoking the attack. A dog bite attorney knows how to defend your rights against a dog owner who doesn’t want to pay, and can help you navigate the insurance claim process or the civil court system to pursue the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

Common Dog Bite Injuries

A dog attack can end with a bite or a wide range of other injuries. Dog bites do not always break the skin and sometimes the most serious injuries from a dog attack are not a bite at all. Dog bite injuries can be painful, traumatic, and in some cases may never fully heal. The extent and severity of your injuries can depend on many factors, including the size and breed of the dog involved as well as your surroundings at the time of the incident.

Examples of injuries that can occur in a dog attack include:

• Puncture wounds - The most common dog bite injury is puncture wounds left by the dog’s teeth. If the dog bit you repeatedly, you may have multiple punctures across various areas of your body. Broken skin can lead to heavy bleeding and infection.
• Avulsions - These can be some of the most horrific and painful injuries from a dog bite attack. A dog’s powerful jaws can pull and rip the victim’s skin, which can cause irreparable damage to the skin tissue, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.
• Crush injuries - The pressure from a dog’s jaw on a person’s bones can crush the person’s bones. This can occur with powerful breeds and in cases where the victim’s bones are fragile, such as a child or elderly person.
• Lacerations and cuts - A dog attack often results in a fight for your life. A scuffle and attempt to push the dog off of you or run away from the danger can cause you to fall, which can cause cuts, bruises, and lacerations.
• Brain injuries - If you are pushed down or dragged by a dog during an attack, you may hit your head on the ground or another object. You may lose consciousness or suffer a concussion or other brain injury from the impact.
• Spinal cord injury - The force of a dog running into you can cause serious injury to your neck and back. Spinal cord injuries are common in serious dog attacks.
• Broken bones or fractures - Falls during a dog attack put the victim at risk of fractures and broken bones. Joints such as your wrists and knees are especially susceptible to injury during falls to the ground or against solid objects.
• Fatality - In some cases, the injuries caused by a dog attack may be too severe for a victim to survive. Children and the elderly are at the highest risk of death in a dog attack.

The Subsequent Risks to Your Health From a Dog Bite

Complications are quite common after a dog bite or injury from an attack. There are circumstances in which the bite itself may not pose a life-threatening risk but a secondary condition or infection can threaten your life and cause lasting damage. There are several situations in which your health and wellbeing can be affected long after a dog bite injury.

Common complications from dog bites and other dog attack injuries include:

• Infection - One of the biggest dangers after a dog attack is the risk of infection when a dog breaks the skin. The dog’s saliva entering the bloodstream through deep puncture wounds puts the victim at risk of severe secondary infections. While immediate medical treatment can help reduce the likelihood of infection, in some cases infection may be inevitable and can be deadly.
• Scarring - The scars after a bite can cause pain and discomfort but may also have a deep mental and emotional effect on a victim. Severe scarring may require painful surgery and procedures to attempt to correct it and in some cases will never fully heal.
• Disfigurement - Avulsions, deep lacerations, and other serious wounds can disfigure people. In some cases, victims may be bitten on the head or face, leaving them with permanent damage to their appearance. Dog attack victims who are disfigured often struggle with embarrassment and trauma as a result.
• Rabies - This virus is deadly if left untreated. If a dog is rabid when they attack a person, that person is at serious risk of death. Immediate medical attention and care are necessary to ensure the virus does not progress. It is vital to find out if a dog has a current rabies vaccination after an attack. If the dog is not vaccinated or you cannot find out whether the dog has a current rabies vaccination, doctors will likely treat you for rabies to prevent the possibility that you will contract this deadly infection.
• Other Diseases - Dog saliva can carry various other diseases that they can transmit to humans.

The Damages Available to You if a Dog Bite Injured You

Many factors go into calculating a dog bite victim’s damages after an attack. Every case is different, but there are some common expenses dog bite victims usually include in their claims for damages.

Compensation for a dog bite or attack can include:

• Medical expenses;
• Lost income;
• Pain and suffering;
• Future medical expenses and income losses; and/or
• The wrongful death of a loved one.

Did a Dog Bite or Maul You in Hudson? Call Us Now

If a dog injured you, contact our experienced Hudson dog bite lawyers at (651) 427-3331 for a free evaluation of your case. In addition to our free consultation, we work on contingency, so you’ll never pay us for our services out of your own pocket—if we don’t secure money for you, we don’t get paid. If we do, our payment comes as a percentage of your settlement or judgment. You have nothing to lose. Call us today.

Hudson Office
517 2nd Street
Unit #205
Hudson, WI 54016
Phone: 715-226-6158