FORT BEND COUNTY DOG BITE ATTORNEY
HOLDING NEGLIGENT DOG OWNERS ACCOUNTABLE IN SOUTH TEXAS
Though dogs are “man’s best friend,” they can also cause serious injury or death if they bite people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that more than 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs each year in this country. Out of those 4.7 million annual dog bites, 800,000 of them require medical attention, and half of those victims are children.
If you or a loved one was bitten by a dog and sustained a serious injury, you may be entitled to pursue an injury claim. The Law Office of Shane McClelland, PLLC can help you with this. Our Fort Bend County dog bite attorney fights hard to help his clients to get the compensation they need to recover.
Give us a call at 713-987-7107 or send us a message online to get started on your case.
Texas Dog Bite Laws
Texas’s dog bite law is also referred to as the “one-bite” statute. It means that in most cases, a dog must have previously bitten someone for the dog’s owner to be held liable for any injuries or damages.
If the dog has not bitten people before, things get more complicated. In this case, we may ask whether the dog owner should have known that the dog would likely bite someone based on previous behavior or “close calls”, where the dog may have almost bitten someone.
Establishing Negligence in a Dog Bite Case
Another way to find a dog owner liable for a dog bite case is if they acted negligently which led to your injuries. This might include not keeping the dog secure on their property or failing to use a leash when in a public place.
To successfully prove that a dog owner was negligent in the State of Texas, you must demonstrate that:
- The negligent person owed a legal duty to you
- The negligent person breached that duty to you
- The breach of that duty caused your injury
The circumstances can vary greatly, but generally speaking, the dog bite victim would need to show that the dog owner was negligent in allowing the circumstances to arise in which his dog bit the victim.
Lillian’s Law
Texas passed a law in 2007 called “Lillian’s Law” (named in the memory of Lillian Stiles, a 76-year old woman who was mauled to death by a pack of pit bulls). The law states that a person is guilty if they, with criminal negligence, fail to secure their dog or dogs, and the dog makes an unprovoked attack on another person at a location other than the owner’s property and the attack causes serious bodily injury or death to the other person.
Additionally, a dog owner is guilty if he knows that the dog is dangerous and the dog makes an unprovoked attack upon another person outside a secured enclosure for the dog and the attack results in serious bodily injury or death.
Violation of Lillian’s Law is a third-degree felony, unless the result is death, in which it becomes a second-degree felony.
Call the Law Office of Shane McClelland
Dog bite cases can vary greatly depending on the facts of each case. If you have been bitten by a dog or your child or family member has suffered an injury from a dog bite, our Fort Bend County dog bite attorney Shane McClelland can investigate the facts of the case and help you pursue compensation for your injuries.
Our Fort Bend County dog bite injury lawyer is here to fight for the compensation you deserve. Call us at 713-987-7107 for a free initial consultation today.
