Florida Lawyer Blog

When an injury occurs, the first question that comes up is the liability for it. This applies to dog bite cases as well. Similar to all US States, Florida has certain statutes in place regarding this specific kind of personal injury. Before you sue the owner, be sure to talk to one of the personal injury lawyers of your area to know the legal position of the case.

Florida Statute 767.04 outlines the responsibility of the dog owner. If his/her dog causes serious injuries to an individual without provocation, the owner is liable for the incident. He/she has to pay for the damages including medical expenses, loss of wages, physical and psychological suffering, plastic surgery, if necessary, and such others. However, if there was provocation on the victim’s part, the recovery of damages may diminish.

There is one exception in this regard. A resident of South Florida is not liable if there was a prominent sign warning about the ‘Bad Dog’. However, this won’t hold ground if the victim was under the age of 6 years. This is applicable when the dog bit the individual victim on the owner’s property.

Florida does not provide owners with the ‘one free bite’ rule. This means that you may sue the owner even if it is the dog’s first attack. Several details guide the legal proceeding. This is why you need proper aid and assistance from South Florida personal injury lawyers to know whether you can sue the dog owner. If yes, you also need their help to ascertain the amount of damage recovery.