St. Mary's
St. Mary’s Dog Bite Lawyer

Dog bites in St. Mary’s can be scary, painful, and expensive. If you or a family member has been bitten by someone else’s dog, you should not have to pay for the costs. To know your rights and begin pursuing compensation for your damages, contact a St. Mary’s dog bite and animal attack lawyer today.

Our dog bite lawyers at John Foy & Associates have been protecting the rights of dog bite victims for over 20 years. Our goal is simple: getting you full compensation for the damages you face from the dog bite or animal attack. We fight tirelessly to recover what you deserve—and you don’t pay us a fee unless we win you money.

Contact us today and we’ll give you a FREE, no-obligation consultation. We’ll discuss the details of your dog bite case and how we can help you. To get started with your FREE consultation today, call us at (404) 400-4000 or contact us online.

How to Determine Who Is Responsible for a Dog Bite in St. Mary’s

Often, after a dog bite, the dog’s owner is nowhere to be found. It might be because they let their dog roam freely or because they took the dog and ran after the attack. Either way, the dog’s owner is almost always at-fault when their dog bites or attacks.

Although the dog’s owner might try to avoid responsibility for the bite, there are ways you can work to find them:

• Asking around: Talk to any witnesses to the attack or neighbors in the area. They might recognize your description of the dog and be able to tell you who it belongs to or where it is usually spotted.
• Talk to authorities: Contact the police and Camden County Animal Control to let them know about the bite. If the dog has bitten someone before or been picked up by Animal Control in the past, you might be able to get more information about the dog and its owner.
• Investigate the scene: Besides talking to witnesses, walking around the area where the dog bite happened might help you come across the dog again and see where they live. Most dogs will stay within fairly close proximity to their homes.
• Contact a dog bite lawyer: It’s best to consult with an experienced dog bite and animal attack lawyer as soon as possible. They can not only help you gather evidence from the incident to build an insurance claim, but they can also help you find out who the dog belongs to.

Dog Bites in St. Mary’s Are Especially Serious for Children

Getting bitten by a dog can be traumatic and painful for anyone—at any age. However, dog bites tend to be especially traumatizing for children. Many people develop phobias after being attacked by a dog in their youth.

Children are more likely to think a dog is playing when it’s actually feeling threatened. Since kids are smaller, some dogs might be more prone to seeing them as prey. There are many reasons a dog bite can be hard on children, and you will want to consider all of those reasons if your child is attacked.

If your child is affected by a dog bite, here are some things you should know:

• The dog owner is nearly always legally responsible for the dog bite, even if they try to say your child provoked the dog.
• If the dog has an owner, it usually means insurance is available to help compensate you for medical costs and other damages.
• You have the right to file an insurance claim for compensation for your damages.

A dog bite lawyer can help you build a strong claim for compensation. While we know money cannot make everything better again, it often helps victims and their families cover costs and begin to move forward from the attack. You should not have to bear the financial burden of someone else’s negligence.

The Dog Owner Might Try to Blame You

If the dog’s owner is saying you caused the dog to attack, contact an experienced lawyer right away. According to Georgia Code section 51-2-7, anyone who owns or keeps a dangerous or vicious animal and causes injury by carelessly manages or allows the animal to “go at liberty” is liable for damages.

In most cases, you typically only need to show that the owner should have had their dog on a leash or “at heel” (but didn’t) when the attack happened to prove negligence. The specifics may depend on your city’s or county’s ordinances regarding dogs. If you need help understanding anything about your local laws, contact your St. Mary’s dog bite and animal attack lawyer.

The dog owner’s insurance company might also try to blame you for the dog bite or attack. This is another area where your lawyer can handle things. They can present the facts and stand up to the insurance company if they try to deny your claim or offer you a lower settlement.

What to Do If the Dog that Bit You Is a Stray

You might worry that there won’t be any insurance available if the dog is a stray, meaning it has no owner. However, we find that a lot of the time, the dog is not actually a stray.

A lot of dogs were simply allowed to roam or temporarily got away from their owners. This is why it’s so important to investigate after the bite and get help uncovering information about the dog. That being said, if you are unable to find any owner at all, there might be alternative insurance options available.

To know all of your options, call your dog bite lawyer. They will go over everything with you and explore additional avenues for compensation.

Talk to a Dog Bite and Animal Attack Lawyer in St. Mary’s for Free Today

At John Foy & Associates, we have 20 plus years of experience helping dog bite victims win the compensation they deserve. We can help you investigate the attack, gather crucial evidence, build a strong insurance claim, and negotiate with the insurance company to pursue a fair settlement.

Call us today at (404) 400-4000 or contact us online for a FREE consultation. There’s no risk to contact or work with us because we don’t charge a fee unless we win you money.

Call (404) 400-4000 or contact us online for your FREE consultation.