Dog Bite Litigation...

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every year approximately 4,700,000 people are bit by dogs in the United States. Of these, 800,000 people seek medical attention for dog bites; half of these are children. Of those injured, 386,000 require treatment in an emergency department and about a dozen die. The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children ages 5 to 9 years. Almost two thirds of injuries among children ages four years and younger are to the head or neck region. Florida leads the country in the instances of dog bites. Because of these alarming statistics, Florida enacted the dog bite statute.

The statute requires that the person to be held strictly liable must be the owner of the dog. In addition, the plaintiff must show that when he was bitten, he was on or in a public place or lawfully on or in a private place. The dog bite statute provides only two defenses. The first defense provides that the owner of the dog is not liable, except as to children under the age of six, if a sign containing the words “Bad Dog” was displayed in a prominent place on the premises at the time of the injury. The second defense is the comparative negligence of the person who was bitten.

As far as where the dog bite occurred, in order to hold a dog owner strictly liable in Florida for the injuries of his dog, the plaintiff must establish that he was bitten while on or in a public place or while lawfully on or in a private place. The dog bite statute also provides that the place of injury may include the property of the dog owner. A person is considered to be lawfully on the private property of the dog owner when:

• he enters the property in the performance of any duty imposed upon him by state law or by the laws or postal regulations of the United States; or
• when he is expressly or impliedly invited by the owner.

Our attorneys are experienced in prosecuting cases involving the dog bite statute and the dog injury statute and offer free consultations to victims of dog or animal bites. We will seek on your behalf complete and fair compensation for all damages and monetary losses, including immediate medical care and future medical care, lost wages, future lost wages, pain and suffering, and more for your dog bite. We work on a contingent basis, which means we do not collect a fee unless we collect damages by way of settlement or jury trial.


For more information about your legal rights, please contact attorney Timothy Nies to schedule a free consultation. Our attorneys and staff speak Spanish and Portuguese. If you have access to a printer, please print out this page to bring with you to your free consultation.





Timothy C. Nies, Esquire 1098 NW Boca Raton Boulevard Boca Raton, FL 33432 Tel: 561-208-5585 Toll-free: 1-877-733-5585 E-mail: timnies@ymail.com