Portrait, The Law Office of David M Kennedy, Personal Injury Attorney, Awarded Litigator of the Year. Serving Sherman, Dennison, Plano, Dallas, Allen, Ft. Worth

Animal Bite Law

Each year, millions of people are bitten by animals, especially dogs. While some dog bites are minor, many victims suffer painful injuries and emotional scars. Most people know that the first thing they should do when they are bitten by an animal is seek medical treatment, but few know their next step.

Portrait, The Law Office of David M Kennedy, Personal Injury Attorney, Awarded Litigator of the Year. Serving Sherman, Dennison, Plano, Dallas, Allen, Ft. Worth

Animal Bite Law

Each year, millions of people are bitten by animals, especially dogs. While some dog bites are minor, many victims suffer painful injuries and emotional scars. Most people know that the first thing they should do when they are bitten by an animal is seek medical treatment, but few know their next step.

Animal Bite Attorney

Animal Attacks

David and the Law Office of David M. Kennedy, P.C. are on a mission to pronounce and defend the rights of victims in this area of personal injury law. These tragic cases are not between ‘dog lovers’ and those who are not. Instead, it is about ensuring that society protects human dignity and our right to live without the fear of being mauled or killed by the vicious ‘pet’ of an irresponsible owner. Victims have rights!

Understanding the Law and Your Rights

Animal attack cases are really an under-developed area of case law. We believe this is due primarily to negligent animal owners shielding themselves from liability by the ‘one free bite’ law that exists in most states, including Texas. This law holds that in most cases an owner won’t be held liable unless there is a history of this particular animal attacking. The time has come to rid our legal system of such draconian laws which results in a gross miscarriage of justice, especially with the prevalence of dogs with vicious tendencies and the ability to do extensive damage to innocent victims.

Areas of Liability

Although all potential cases are unique, some of the potential liability scenarios are:

  • Owners who have negligent maintenance of fencing and leashing
  • Owners who fail to heed warning signs that there animals are vicious, or have the potential to do serious harm to others who mean no harm
  • Owners who breed and train their animals to attack with little discrimination
  • Landlords who permit vicious dogs by their tenants
  • Businesses or homeowners who fail to call in assistance to run off or fail to rid themselves of strays that then attack
  • Businesses or homeowners who fail to warn of vicious animals
  • Businesses or homeowners who encourage or permit interaction between their animals and vulnerable victims

Unique Damages

Even though most of the damages suffered due to these attacks are the same as in other personal injury cases – pain, healthcare expenses, lost wages – the potential for psychological damage is very common. Not only are the attacks often several minutes or longer so as to make them unique in that respect, the victims are often elderly and/or children, a group that is much more likely to suffer long-term psychological injury. David has a history of working with experts in this area of damage development for jury presentation.

Pit bull terriers – a breed created not by God but by man – accounted for 82% of the dog-attack deaths in the United States in 2015. Rottweilers were a distant second. A Chiguagua may have a reputation for being an angry little dog, but the potential for harm is miniscule when compared to that of the pit bull, Rottweiler, mastiffs and other large and vicious dogs. The owners of these dogs must be accountable! Contact the Law Office of David M. Kennedy, P.C. if you or someone you love have been the victim of an animal attack.

Practice Areas

Contact Us

Call Us 903-819-0720

Law Office of David M. Kennedy, P.C.

320 N. Travis St., Suite 207
Sherman, TX 75090

Email: Click Here

Map and Directions

Animal Bite Attorney

Animal Attacks

David and the Law Office of David M. Kennedy, P.C. are on a mission to pronounce and defend the rights of victims in this area of personal injury law. These tragic cases are not between ‘dog lovers’ and those who are not. Instead, it is about ensuring that society protects human dignity and our right to live without the fear of being mauled or killed by the vicious ‘pet’ of an irresponsible owner. Victims have rights!

Understanding the Law and Your Rights

Animal attack cases are really an under-developed area of case law. We believe this is due primarily to negligent animal owners shielding themselves from liability by the ‘one free bite’ law that exists in most states, including Texas. This law holds that in most cases an owner won’t be held liable unless there is a history of this particular animal attacking. The time has come to rid our legal system of such draconian laws which results in a gross miscarriage of justice, especially with the prevalence of dogs with vicious tendencies and the ability to do extensive damage to innocent victims.

Areas of Liability

Although all potential cases are unique, some of the potential liability scenarios are:

  • Owners who have negligent maintenance of fencing and leashing
  • Owners who fail to heed warning signs that there animals are vicious, or have the potential to do serious harm to others who mean no harm
  • Owners who breed and train their animals to attack with little discrimination
  • Landlords who permit vicious dogs by their tenants
  • Businesses or homeowners who fail to call in assistance to run off or fail to rid themselves of strays that then attack
  • Businesses or homeowners who fail to warn of vicious animals
  • Businesses or homeowners who encourage or permit interaction between their animals and vulnerable victims

Unique Damages

Even though most of the damages suffered due to these attacks are the same as in other personal injury cases – pain, healthcare expenses, lost wages – the potential for psychological damage is very common. Not only are the attacks often several minutes or longer so as to make them unique in that respect, the victims are often elderly and/or children, a group that is much more likely to suffer long-term psychological injury. David has a history of working with experts in this area of damage development for jury presentation.

Pit bull terriers – a breed created not by God but by man – accounted for 82% of the dog-attack deaths in the United States in 2015. Rottweilers were a distant second. A Chiguagua may have a reputation for being an angry little dog, but the potential for harm is miniscule when compared to that of the pit bull, Rottweiler, mastiffs and other large and vicious dogs. The owners of these dogs must be accountable! Contact the Law Office of David M. Kennedy, P.C. if you or someone you love have been the victim of an animal attack.

Dog Bite Stastics

● Pit Bulls and Rottweilers accounted for 91% of the 34 deaths in the United States in 2015, and 76% of all fatal attacks in the 11-year period from 2005 to 2015.

● In 2015, nearly one third, 32% (11), of all dog bite fatality victims were either visiting or living temporarily with the dog's owner when the fatal attack occurred. Children ages 9-years and younger accounted for 82% (9) of these deaths.

● From 2005 to 2015, Pit Bulls killed 232 Americans, about one citizen every 17 days, versus Rottweilers, which killed 41, about one citizen every 98 days.

● Approximately 4.5 dog bites occur each year in the United States, and nearly 1 out of every 5 become infected.

● In 2015, more than 28,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of being bitten by dogs.

● A 2010 study showed that the average cost of a dog bite-related hospital stay was $18,200, about 50% higher than the average injury-related hospital stay.

● Over 900 U.S. cities have adopted breed-specific laws since the mid 1980s, just after pit bulls (fighting dogs) began leaking into the general population.

(your source for these statistics is www.dogsbite.org )

Practice Areas

Contact Us

Call Us 903-819-0720

Law Office of David M. Kennedy, P.C.

320 N. Travis St., Suite 207
Sherman, TX 75090

Email: Click Here

Map and Directions

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