Austin Dog Bite Lawyer

Dog Bite Injury

The trauma of being violently attacked by a dog is no easy feat to overcome. Get help seeking the compensation you deserve by consulting with a dog bite attorney in Austin.

If you have been attacked by or otherwise encountered an aggressive dog, you may be entitled to full repayment of your personal losses when you pursue a personal injury claim against the dog’s owner. Many dog bite survivors have reported suffering brain damage, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, permanent nerve damage, and even disfigurement—all caused by dog owner negligence.

Your Austin dog bite lawyer at Crain Brogdon, LLP. will work tirelessly to build your case so you are best positioned to be awarded maximum compensation for all you’ve endured. There are many different tort laws that can impact your Austin case, including the one-bite rule and the statute of limitations, which we describe in further detail as you continue reading.

Who Pays When a Dog Bites?

Texas doesn’t have a specific dog bite statute in effect, but there are countless cases that give precedent to TX being a “one-bite” state for dog bites. Essentially, this would mean that the dog’s owner cannot be held accountable for the actions of their pet if their dog had never bitten before or shown a propensity for violent behavior.

Likewise, if a dog had never been deemed “dangerous” by the state, the dog owner may be able to avoid being found liable for the damage caused by their pet when it attacks. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have a case.

Exceptions to the One-Bite Rule

If a dog has previously been labeled dangerous, if they have bitten before, or if they have proven to be aggressive in other ways, the dog’s owner can be held strictly liable for the harm caused by their pet.

Furthermore, if our investigation uncovers that the owner of the dog was negligent and did not take proper precautions with their dog to keep it under their control, strict liability will apply and the dog’s owner can be found at fault. What’s more, the owner can also be charged criminally for their negligence if their dog caused serious bodily injury or death to the victim of the attack.

It is important to note that individuals who are accidentally injured by a rogue dog will also have the opportunity to file a claim, as the dog’s owner should have had complete control of their pet. A good example could be if a dog left its yard and jumped up on you, causing a serious back injury.

There are some circumstances under which the dog’s owner cannot be held accountable for their pet’s behavior, without regard to the aforementioned strict liability and one-bite precedents, including:

• The dog attacking after being provoked into doing so
• The injury victim trespassing on the dog owner’s property
• The dog attacking in self-defense of itself, its owner, or someone else

If you have additional questions about whether your Austin animal injury case will fall under strict liability or the one-bite rule, you will need to speak with your attorney about the details of your encounter with an aggressive dog.

TX Statute of Limitations for Canine Attack Injuries

If you are considering filing a personal injury claim against the owner of the dog that bit you, you’ll need to act quickly. The statute of limitations for dog bite claims in Texas is only two years from the date of the attack, and your attorney will need as much time as possible to begin building you a strong case against the dog owner.

Failure to file your claim before the statute of limitations expires will mean that you lose the chance to obtain the repayment you would otherwise be owed.

Get Help from a Dog Bite Attorney in Austin

The unpredictability of dogs should never result in an injury to an individual, as the dog’s owner has a legal responsibility to keep their pet under reasonable control. If you or your child have suffered traumatic injuries as a result of a canine attack, reach out to a highly trained Austin dog bite lawyer at Crain Brogdon, LLP..

We offer dog bite survivors in Austin and its surrounding cities a complimentary claim review so we can get to know more about the individual details of your case. To take advantage of this opportunity to recover the money you’re owed, give our office a call at 214-522-9404 or submit the brief contact form we have provided at the bottom of this page to schedule your free consultation.

Attorney Quentin Brogdon

Quentin Brogdon has over thirty years of experience and expertise in the field of personal injury trial law. He is board certified in both personal injury trial law and civil trial advocacy. Quentin has received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating. This rating reflects an attorney’s ethics and abilities according to reviews from fellow attorneys. [ Attorney Bio ]