A dog bite or dog attack is a scary event. The dog bite itself is terrifying and the resulting injuries can be permanent, both physically and mentally. Medical bills and lost wages can pile up and sometimes you feel helpless to control the situation.
However, you can take control. In Michigan, when a dog bite occurs, the dog owner is strictly liable or responsible for any injuries or damages that arise out of the dog bite. There is no investigation into whether the injured victim was negligent. Instead, if the dog bites and the injured victim did nothing to provoke the attack, the dog owner is liable for the injuries that occurred.
Our law office recently settled a dog bite case for $275,000 for an Inkster Michigan woman who was attacked by a friend’s Huskie. Our client did nothing to provoke the dog. She was merely standing in her friend’s home when the dog came out nowhere and viciously bit her lower left leg. Our client required a skin graft to repair a large open wound in her leg.
We filed a claim with the dog owner’s homeowners insurance company, asserting the dog owner was liable under the Michigan dog bite law, MCL 287.351. At first, the insurance company asserted some outlandish defenses, even accusing our client of making the entire story up because the medical records did not exactly match our client’s version of events. However, after a careful investigation by our law office, as well as aggressive discovery by our attorneys, we were able to pin the defendant down to ensure the truth came out.
This settlement won’t repair our client’s physical scars or emotional loss. However, it does help compensate her for the wrong that occurred. She will be able to move on from this horrific event and have the ability to pay for any additional medical needs in the future.
If you or somebody you know has been viciously attacked by a dog, take control. Call Lee Free at 1-800-533-3733 and let us our aggressive team of Michigan dog bite lawyers help you today.
