Dog Bites and Other Animal Attacks
Animal attacks occur very often in Las Vegas. Dog bites are sometimes the worst injury cases because they leave residual scarring and deformity. Many times injury victims are minors and young children. Parents may have claims if they witness their children during an attack. Dog mauling may carry criminal liability against the owners if the dogs have a previous history. Of note, owners of property/landlords are not civilly liable for acts of their tenants or renter's animals. Usually cases of dog attacks owned by a tenant must be prosecuted against the tenant and are not worth pursuing for various reasons.
Often the Las Vegas news will report about horrific dog bites. More recently, a gruesome dog attack was reported. The little boy, who had just turned 1, was celebrating his birthday at his grandmother's home in Henderson when the boy merely crawled over to the dog and began petting him. Suddenly, the 120-pound Mastiff/Rhodesian mix dog attacked and locked its teeth around the boy's head and started shaking him. The boy was taken to a local hospital before being flown by helicopter to University Medical Center's trauma unit in downtown Las Vegas where, regrettably, the little boy passed away. The family pet had shown no previous signs of aggression, and he had been with the family since he was a puppy.
It is believed that two percent of the US population, or 4.7 million people, receive dog bites each year. In the 1980s and 1990s the US had around 17 fatal dog attacks a year on average while in the 2000s the number increased to 26. Approximately 77% of dog bites are from pets of family or friends, and around 50% of attacks occur on the dog owner's property. Many victims— in fact, most— are reluctant in suing their family and friends; with this being the case, Benson and Bingham can work with you in order to receive the appropriate compensation from insurance companies. We understand the pain and damage associated with such attacks, and we want to help you get the compensation you deserve.
As the amount of compensation varies by case, there is no general rule that determines what a victim will receive. A dog bite victim can get money for the following things:
- Medical treatment such as first aid, emergency room, hospital, and ambulance.
- Future medical treatment for scar reduction
- Psychological counseling to overcome the emotional trauma of the dog attack, fear of dogs, fear of being outdoors, etc
- Loss of earnings from work or the victim’s business
- Torn clothing and broken glasses
- Medications
- Pain and suffering
- Future disability
Similar to many other states, Nevada adheres to the common law concept of liability in dog bite cases. Plainly stated, this common law claims that, in order to be held liable, the owner of a dog must know that dog has a tendency to bite and the owner must have insufficient measures to control the dog. However, the law regarding dog bite claims is multi-faceted and depends, to a great degree, on the certain circumstances of the particular event. We, at Benson and Bingham, will carefully investigate the circumstances that led to your dog bite injury. We want to help you get your life back. We can’t reverse the damage done, but we can do our best to get you what you deserve. We have a trusted network of doctors including We work with board certified plastic surgeons and reconstructive specialists who can do amazing medical work. Please call immediately if an animal injured you, for a no cost consultation at 702-382-9797.
Recent Blog Articles Concerning Animal Attacks:
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