Dog Bite and Animal Attacks

If you or someone you know has been involved in a dog bite incident or animal attack in Connecticut, we can assist you with your claim. Put our decades of legal experience to work for you. We will advance all fees and expenses for your case including hiring experts to strengthen your case. Once the case is concluded, we will be reimbursed for the costs out of the recovery. If no recovery is attained, you do not owe anything for the costs and expenses, which will be absorbed by us. All cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not pay us until we recover money for you.

1. How Many People are Attacked By Dogs Every Year?

In 2007, statistics reveal 43,021,000 households, or 37.2% of all households in the United States own, on average, 1.7 dogs. A National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey indicated in excess of 4,700,000 people are bitten by a dog annually. Of those, 800,000 require medical attention. Nearly 368,000 victims require treatment at hospital emergency rooms.

2. What Should I do if I Am a Victim of a Dog Bite or Animal Attack?

It is extremely important that you contact us as soon as possible. It is critical not to do anything that might have a negative affect upon your case. We might advise you not to give any statements or sign any authorizations, so it is important to speak with us before you do something that could have a negative impact on your case. There are also potential notice requirements that, if missed, could result in the dismissal of your case.

3. How is Liability Determined?

The critical issue in many personal injury cases is just how a "reasonable person" would be expected to act in the situation that caused the injury. A person is negligent when he or she fails to act like a "reasonable person". Whether a given person has met the "reasonable person standard" is often a matter that is decided by a jury after the presentation of evidence and argument at trial. This is one of the many reasons why you should contact us as soon as possible so we can start to investigate and develop your case.

4. What If I Can't Prove That Someone's Negligence Caused My Injury? Is There Any Other Basis For Liability Besides Negligence?

Negligence is not the only theory of liability. Certain individuals or companies may be held "strictly liable" for certain activities that harm others, even if they have not acted negligently or with wrongful intent. On the basis of strict liability, a person injured by a defective or unexpectedly dangerous product, or by a dog bite, for instance, may recover compensation for the injury without showing that the responsible party was actually negligent.

5. What Compensation Might I Receive If My Case is Successful?

Usually, a person who is liable for an injury--which generally means his or her liability insurance company--must pay an injured person for:

You will be awarded "damages," or compensation, which is money intended to restore you to the position you were in before your injury. This money is not considered income (excluding monies paid for loss of income) and is not taxable as income by the federal or state government.

The law recognizes that people, beside the bite victim, might also suffer compensable losses. Certain witnesses closely related to dog bite victim (a parent for example) who witnesses the attack may have a claim for bystander emotional distress. A spouse of the victim who is incapacitated might be entitled to compensation for loss of consortium. Family members of a victim who dies from injuries caused by a dog can sue for wrongful death.

Many dog bites and attacks occur to children who sometimes receive serious injuries because of their size. Other cases may involve serious and permanent scars as well as nerve damage.

Victims of dog bites suffer trauma, pain, wage loss and a wide variety of claims dependent on their lifestyle. If you or a family member have been bitten by a dog and suffered injuries, it is recommended that you contact us.

6. If I Have A Dog Bite Accident Case What Should I Do?

It is extremely important that you contact us as soon as possible. It is critical not to do anything that might have a negative affect upon your case. We might advise you not to give any statements or sign any authorizations, so it is important to speak with us before you do something that could have a negative impact on your case.

7. How Do I Get About Getting Experts To Help Me With My Dog Bite Accident Case?

We will be able to hire a team of experts that can assist in the development of your case, which, depending on your case, can range from a private investigator, to doctors, to plastic surgeons, to economists.

8. Who Will Pay The Expenses of Hiring All Of These Experts?

Our firm will advance all costs and expenses of your case as they are incurred. Once the case is concluded, we would be reimbursed for our costs out of the recovery. If there is no recovery, you will owe nothing for the costs and expenses, which will be absorbed by us. Additionally, you only pay us once you receive a settlement or award.

9. Do Any of Your Attorneys Have Any Specialized Training or Awards?

One of our attorneys has received Advanced Negotiation Training at the Harvard Law School and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum which is one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the U.S. For additional information please see our attorney biographies.

10. Why Should I Hire Hastings, Cohan and Walsh, LLP to Represent Me?

Because we are passionate about what we do and have decades of experience in representing dog bite victims. Before you hire a lawyer, speak to an insurance adjuster, or sign any paperwork, order a copy of our free book "The Crash Course on Personal Injury Claims in Connecticut."

If you or someone you know has been injured due to a Connecticut dog bite accident or animal attack, you should contact us as soon as possible. Don't delay in consulting us so we can get to work for you right away.

Please call us at 1-888-842-8466 or complete our online form on the right hand side of this web page and tell us about your case.