Pets like dogs have been great companions to humans for thousands of years. They are fun to play with, and even though they don’t speak human languages, they can be trained to perform various human activities. Training these beautiful creatures can be mentally, financially, and physically tasking due to costs associated with feeding, walking them, and the emotional trauma of losing them to death or illness. Some costs even go way beyond the listed above because in the event of a dog bite, most often than not, the owner is held responsible for the outcome and can be sued for the dog bite.
Dogs can switch from their jolly mode to becoming aggressive and even go as far as inflicting severe and life-altering injuries to their victims. In the case of Maupin v. Tankersley, Maupin was attacked by a pack of four or five dogs, which resulted in her sustaining severe injuries leading to physical pain and hefty medical bills.
What Should I Do If I Got Bitten By A Dog?
In a dog attack, it’s no news that injured parties can take legal actions against the dog owner. There have been a handful of cases of dog bites across the United States, including the cases of Tyner v. Matta-Troncoso, Hai v. Psoras, Lipinsky v. Yarusso, King v. Hoffman.
However, various laws guide dog bite cases in the United States and across the world.
A Sneak Peek Into Dog Bite Laws In The United States
Every state has its laws regulating a dog owner’s liability in the case of a dog bite. Some states have enacted statutory law, while others still follow and use common law rules. However, there are situations in which the plaintiff can collect damages under both common law and state law.
In the United States, there is the “one-bite rule” and the “strict liability law” guiding dog bites. Various states follow the one-bite rule, while some adhere to dog bites’ strict liability laws.
What is the one-bit rule for dogs?
According to the one-bite rule, a dog owner cannot be held accountable for their dog’s behavior unless they know or should have known about the animal’s dangerous propensities. The onus is on the plaintiff to prove that the dog owner knew about the dog’s propensities to attack or become aggressive to the point of attack, which has been exhibited in the past.
Most states, either by statute or case law, have rejected or modified the “one-bite” rule, which originates from common law.
However, strict liability rules state that a dog owner can be held liable for their dog’s acts even if the dog owner was not negligent.
Furthermore, how either or both of these laws are applied depends on the state and the circumstances surrounding the dog bite.
Legal Animation In Settling A Bite Case
Despite the different laws governing dog bites, it doesn’t stop legal animation in proving a case.
A dog bite can result in personal injuries like body disfigurement, fracture, infections, severed limbs, internal damage to organs, paralysis, etc. Hence, using legal animation can be a sure-fire way to drive home your case.
If correctly done by an experienced legal animation company, legal animation can be used to recreate the event surrounding the dog bite, slowly showcase the attack and the injuries resulting from the attack.
It can further explain surgery procedures (medical animation) resulting from the bite. Also, the plaintiff can employ legal animation to illustrate and recreate a witness or bystander’s account of the dog bite event.
In conclusion, it is not illegal to use legal animation in a dog bite case despite the varying state laws. What is essential is that the animation should meet the standard rules of admissible evidence. Hence, you need to employ the services of a legal animation company that is well-grounded and conversant with the rules of admissibility of legal animation from their experience in the court of law.
