Hammond Dog
Bite Attorneys

Midwest Injury Lawyers Help Dog Bite Victims in Hammond

As soon as possible after suffering injuries in a dog bite occurrence, you should seek medical treatment at a local urgent care facility or hospital emergency room. Next, speak to a Hammond dog bite attorney at Midwest Injury Lawyers as quickly as possible.

We can first meet with you to discuss your eligibility for filing a dog bite claim and explain the legal theories that may apply to the facts and circumstances of your case. We can then help you file a claim with the appropriate insurance company and pursue the maximum financial recovery you deserve for your losses.

If the insurance company refuses to adequately compensate you for your dog bite injuries, we can explore litigation options and, if necessary, file a lawsuit against the dog owner and their insurance company in court. Our compassionate legal team will do everything possible to help you maximize the compensation you recover in your dog bite claim or lawsuit.

For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with an experienced Hammond dog bite lawyer, please contact our Hammond office today for more information.

Dog Bite Laws in Indiana

Indiana has very specific laws that hold dog owners responsible for dog bites and injuries. First, a dog owner may become automatically liable for a dog bite incident, as well as the resulting injuries, if the bite victim was acting peaceably and was not provoking the animal in any way, and the victim was in a location where their job required. For example, they may have been lawfully present on the premises to perform a legal duty, such as delivering mail.

Under these circumstances, a dog owner or their insurance company may be legally and financially responsible for the resulting injuries, even if the dog never acted aggressively before or bit anyone previously.

In other circumstances, such as when a dog bites a private citizen, Indiana follows the negligence—or one bite—rule. Under this rule, a bite victim may file a personal injury claim or lawsuit against the dog owner if they knew or reasonably should have known that their dog was likely to act aggressively or bite someone.

To prove that a dog owner knew of the dog’s dangerous propensities, the bite victim can show that the dog bit someone previously—and that the dog owner was fully aware of this fact. The bite victim can also establish that the dog owner was aware of the dog’s propensity to chase cars or attack people.

In essence, under the one-bite rule, the bite victim must establish that the dog owner was aware that their dog was dangerous yet failed to take the necessary precautions to prevent the dog from biting someone.

In addition to demonstrating that the dog owner was negligent in some way, the bite victim must show that as a direct result of the dog owner’s negligence, they suffered one or more physical injuries in the dog attack.

Dog owners may also face criminal liability if their dog bites a person.

A dog owner can face criminal charges if:

• The dog enters another person’s premises.
• The dog owner intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly failed to exercise reasonable care in restraining their dog.
• As a direct result of this failure, the dog attacked or bit an individual (without provocation from the bite victim), causing the victim to sustain physical injuries and losses.

In addition, if the dog caused fatal injuries in the attack, the dog owner can be subject to felony criminal charges.

In a civil case, the plaintiff, or the individual filing the lawsuit, is the injured bite victim. However, in a criminal case, the plaintiff is the State. The prosecutor then files the case on behalf of all citizens in the state—and for their protection.

If you suffered injuries in a dog attack that resulted from a dog owner’s negligence, the experienced Hammond dog bite attorneys at Midwest Injury Lawyers can help you explore your legal options and undertake the appropriate legal action right away.

Specifically, we can file a claim with the dog owner’s insurance company on your behalf, gather the necessary documentation, and begin negotiating settlement compensation. If the insurance company will not compensate you adequately for your injuries and makes a low settlement offer, we can threaten them with litigation and, if necessary, file a lawsuit in court on your behalf.

In addition to these injuries from a dog bite, a dog attack that forces the victim onto the ground can result in:

• Soft tissue injuries
• Broken bones
• Rib fractures
• Traumatic head and brain injuries
• Internal organ injuries

If you sustained any of these injuries in a recent dog attack incident, your top priority should be receiving the medical care and treatment that you need to recover from your injuries. In addition, you should report the incident to the dog owner immediately and obtain their contact and insurance information. In many situations, a homeowner insurance policy will cover dog attack incidents, including dog bites.

While you focus your attention on receiving the medical treatment you need for your dog attack injuries, our legal team can begin gathering police reports, witness statements, and medical documentation. We can also begin assembling

these documents into a settlement demand package on your behalf. That way, once you complete all of your medical treatment, we can start negotiating a favorable settlement with the dog owner’s insurance company on your behalf.

Filing a Claim with an Insurance Company

The first step to recovering monetary compensation in a dog bite claim is to submit a settlement demand package to the appropriate insurance company. In most situations, a dog bite victim will deal with the homeowner’s insurance company for the dog owner.

A typical settlement demand package includes a demand letter that makes an opening demand for monetary compensation within the available limits of the homeowner’s insurance policy. The demand package will also include various documents to support the dog bite claim. Those documents may include copies of the bite victim’s medical records and bills, lost income documentation, photographs that depict visible dog attack injuries, scars, and statements from witnesses to the dog attack.

Once the insurance company receives the settlement demand package, the insurance company will assign an adjuster to oversee and handle the claim. That adjuster will typically reach out to the bite victim’s attorney after deciding to accept liability for the incident. If the insurance company accepts fault for the dog bite or attack, the adjuster might make an opening settlement offer that is usually far less than the claim’s true value.

Insurance companies frequently make low settlement offers to see if they can entice the dog bite victim to settle their claim quickly and cheaply. After all, insurance companies want to avoid paying out as much compensation as possible in any claim or lawsuit. By taking this approach, settlement adjusters hope to minimize their overall monetary payout and save their insurance company as much money as possible.

Settlement negotiations typically proceed back and forth between the dog bite victim’s lawyer and the insurance company adjuster. If the case eventually resolves, it will not proceed to litigation. However, if the insurance company refuses to offer favorable monetary damages for the bite victim’s injuries, the bite victim’s lawyer will have no other option but to file a lawsuit on their client’s behalf.

Even after a dog bite case enters litigation, the matter may still settle at some point along the way. In fact, the majority of dog bite cases resolve out of court since cases can be extremely expensive to litigate and take to trial. Our legal team can fully explain all of your legal options and help you decide on the best course of action for your dog bite claim or lawsuit.

Call a Compassionate Dog Bite Attorney at Midwest Injury Lawyers Today

Dog bites and dog attacks are very scary and traumatic experiences that may affect accident victims for the rest of their life—especially if they are young when the incident occurs. If you suffered injuries in a dog bite or attack that resulted from a dog owner’s negligence, the skilled legal team at Midwest Injury Lawyers is ready to help. Reach out to a Hammond personal injury lawyer.

We can promptly investigate the circumstances of your dog attack incident and help you pursue the full monetary damages you deserve. Our legal team will do everything possible to help you maximize your monetary compensation, either through settlement or litigation, and ensure that you recover damages that make you whole again after your dog attack incident.

For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a knowledgeable Hammond dog bite lawyer, please call us at (219) 200-0151 or contact us online to learn more.

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Midwest Injury Lawyers – Hammond Office

2901 Carlson Drive  Suite 363,
Hammond, IN 46323

Phone: (219) 200-0151