North Dakota Dog Bite Lawyer

If someone else's dog bit you or your loved one at a location in North Dakota, you may have the right to receive significant compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial harm you suffered. The dog's owner, the owner of the property where the bite occurred, and others may have a duty to pay you for your losses.

To obtain maximum compensation for your dog bite injury, put your case in the hands of a skilled North Dakota dog bite lawyer. Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers has years of experience fighting to get money for dog bite victims. To learn how we can help you, contact us today for a free case evaluation. 

About Us

Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers is a premier personal injury law firm serving the Upper Midwest and Northern Great Plains. We're a team of seasoned personal injury trial lawyers who know how to get results in even the most challenging cases while providing legal representation with a personal touch.

Our team has decades of combined experience handling dog bite liability claims. We understand the trauma you or your loved one suffered when a dog attacked you, and we work tirelessly to get you the money you need to pay your expenses and move forward with your life.

We can't guarantee results, but our impressive track record of success in dog bite cases reflects our commitment to going the distance to see justice done and fair compensation paid to our clients.

Overview of North Dakota Dog Bite Liability and Damages

Victims of dog bites in North Dakota possess potentially valuable rights to seek compensation for their injuries. Multiple parties could face liability to you for the trauma you or your loved one suffered in a dog attack. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we dig into the details of your case to determine who owes you damages and how much you could receive. 

Who owes you damages for a North Dakota dog bite?

Under North Dakota law, numerous individuals, businesses, or entities could owe you damages for negligently failing to protect you from getting bitten. Negligence occurs when someone fails to exercise reasonable care by not keeping you safe from a dog. Parties fitting that description could include, for example: 

• The dog's owner;
• Someone else who exercised control over the dog, like a dog walker or commercial kennel owner;
• The owner of the property where the dog bit you; or
• An insurance company that issued liability coverage (such as homeowners insurance) to any of the above. 

Unlike some states, North Dakota has no statute on the books that holds all dog owners automatically liable for a bite. Instead, it's usually up to the victim's lawyer to identify and seek compensation from the party (or parties) whose negligent decisions, actions, or inaction contributed to the cause of the attack. 

A North Dakota statute does, however, hold a dog owner automatically liable for certain damages and costs resulting from a bite in one specific circumstance. If the owner violated state law by failing to license, register, or protect (through vaccination or confinement) the dog from contracting rabies, the owner will automatically be liable to a bite victim for any medical treatment for potential rabies exposure. 

The Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers team thoroughly investigates our client's dog bite injury. We aim to identify and target as many liable parties as possible, to maximize our client's chances of receiving full compensation. 

What damages can you seek for a North Dakota dog bite?

You can seek compensation for all physical, emotional, and financial harm you suffered when a dog bit you in North Dakota. That can include payment for: 

• Your medical expenses in treating a dog bite and any related health complication like potential rabies exposure;
• The cost of psychological therapy, which child bite victims, in particular, often need to overcome the trauma of a dog attack; 
• Other past or future expenditures directly resulting from the bite or the life challenges it created; 
• Lost income and job benefits due to missing work while healing from a bite or caring for a child bite victim; 
• Loss of future earning potential or job opportunities, when the bite causes a temporary or permanent disability; 
• Physical pain and discomfort you endured from the bite or medical treatments; 
• Emotional distress caused by being bitten or seeing a child victim get attacked; 
• Your diminished quality of life; 
• Struggles resulting from a bite that caused scarring, disfigurement, or loss of bodily function. 

Sometimes, a North Dakota judge or jury may also award additional, exemplary damages to a bite victim as punishment for someone's extreme or intentional misconduct resulting in the dog attack. At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we delve into how a dog bite impacted our client's life to ensure that any action we take on their behalf seeks the maximum damages available. 

What Legal Services We Can Provide in Dog Bite Cases?

Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers is a full-service personal injury law firm. We have the personnel, resources, and experience to tackle any challenge that might arise in a North Dakota dog bite case. Our goal is to obtain as much money as possible for our clients while providing personalized services tailored to their needs.

Every dog bite case we handle differs. But depending on the circumstances, our team can: 

• Investigate a dog bite to determine precisely how it happened and identify all parties whose negligent actions make them liable for our client's damages; 
• Evaluate the scope of harm our client suffered and may face in the future because of a dog bite; 
• Analyze insurance policies to determine whether they cover our client's injuries and for how much; 
• Take over all dealings with insurance companies on our client's behalf so that they stop receiving calls from aggressive insurance adjusters; 
• Act as a trusted advisor who can help a client evaluate and make decisions that may affect their rights;
• Prepare and file lawsuits or insurance claims seeking damages for our client's dog bite injury and related trauma; 
• Negotiate settlements, when possible, of our client's dog bite claims; 
• Advise our client whether to accept or reject a settlement offer; 
• Go to court to prove our client's case to a North Dakota judge and jury; and
• Take the steps necessary to collect the money owed to our client by an at-fault party or insurance carrier. 

Our team routinely takes these and similar steps in dog bite cases without charging our clients a penny upfront. That's because we handle personal injury claims on a contingent fee basis. We don't ask our clients for an advance or bill them by the hour. Instead, our fee consists of a percentage of the financial recovery we secure for our client. We only get paid, in other words, if we win for you. 

Steps to Take After Suffering a North Dakota Dog Bite Injury

Your actions after a dog attack that harms you or a loved one can substantially affect your rights, health, and well-being. Following the steps below can help to protect your interests and preserve your right to seek compensation. 

Seek Immediate Medical Care

Seek medical attention immediately for any dog bite worse than a nip, especially if it breaks the skin or causes immediate bruising or swelling. It's better to be safe than sorry. Dog bites hold the potential to cause severe trauma and health problems, including: 

• Lacerations and puncture wounds that bleed dangerously and leave scarring;
• Tendon, muscle, or ligament damage;
• Infection (including rabies);
• Broken bones;
• Nerve damage; and
• Facial trauma causing disfigurement or loss of eyesight, a particular risk for child bite victims. 

A dog attack can also inflict deep emotional wounds. Children, in particular, often suffer lasting psychological trauma when a dog bites them. Seeking prompt medical attention can help a child begin processing what happened. 

In addition to protecting your health, seeking medical care for a dog bite can safeguard your legal rights. Your treatment records may constitute valuable evidence for a lawyer to use in seeking damages on your behalf. And they demonstrate that you took responsible steps to address your injuries promptly, which protects the value of your claim.

Contact a Dog Bite Lawyer to Learn About Your Rights

At Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers, we strongly encourage you to contact a dog bite lawyer as soon as you've addressed your immediate medical needs. The sooner you have an experienced attorney advocating for you, the better your chances of receiving maximum compensation for your trauma. Conversely, the longer you wait to consult with a knowledgeable lawyer, the greater your risk of missing a legal deadline or making a misstep that negatively impacts your rights. 

We urge you to contact a lawyer even if you think you did something to provoke the attack. For one thing, dog bite victims often incorrectly blame themselves without realizing the dog was dangerous or diseased and would have bitten them no matter what they did. For another, even if your actions somehow triggered the dog, you may still have the right to seek compensation for your injuries. Don't assume you have no recourse just because you think you could have done better to avoid being bitten. North Dakota law still entitles you to damages in many such cases.  

Alert Animal Control or Public Health Authorities

Local animal control ordinances may require you to report the dog bite to the appropriate authorities. Even if they don't, it's often the wise and responsible thing to do. Your local government's designated animal control agency or public health unit can take the steps necessary to identify the dog (and its owner) and ensure that it does not endanger the public. If the dog is abnormally vicious or rabid, your report could save others from the trauma of an attack.

Reporting a bite does not mean the dog will be destroyed. A report merely triggers a period of quarantining and monitoring the dog to ensure it's not rabid or otherwise extremely dangerous. Animal control usually won't take steps to put a dog down unless it's diseased or poses an unacceptable public safety risk that the owner has refused to address. 

Making a report can also protect your legal rights. Once notified, the authorities can take steps to identify the dog and its owner and confirm its licensing and vaccination status. The information they uncover can assist your attorney's investigation into who may have liability for your losses. 

Do Not Agree to Compensation Without First Consulting a Lawyer

The dog's owner, handler, or an insurance company representing them might offer a quick payment to resolve your potential claim for damages. Do not agree to anything or sign any documents they send you without first consulting with an experienced North Dakota dog bite lawyer. Quick settlement offers made directly to bite victims like you rarely, if ever, pay enough to cover your expenses and other damages. Accepting the money they put on the table could jeopardize your rights to seek full compensation. 

In nearly all cases, an experienced dog bite lawyer can negotiate on your behalf and get you far more than the initial offer you received. So before responding to any offer, call an attorney and ask for a consultation. The Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers team offers a free case evaluation to anyone in your situation who wants to learn more about their rights and options for seeking compensation. 

Contact an Experienced Dog Bite Attorney at Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers Today

If you or someone close to you sustained injuries when a dog bit you in North Dakota, the law may entitle you to significant compensation. Many parties may have had a duty to keep you safe from the dog that attacked you and may now owe you monetary damages for the harm you've suffered. 

Nicolet Law Accident & Injury Lawyers wants to help you explore your options, reach out to a North Dakota personal injury lawyer. We regularly represent dog bite victims and have an enviable track record of securing top-dollar results. To learn how we can help you get money for your expenses, losses, and future needs, contact us or call 1-855-NICOLET today for a free case evaluation.