Have you been injured in a dog attack on the Upper Peninsula? In Michigan, you may have the right to hold the dog’s owner accountable for your harm and loss. This likely means going up against a big insurance company, one that will do whatever it can to limit your financial recovery. You deserve experienced legal representation to stand up to these powerful interests and demand fair compensation for what you’ve suffered. You deserve Atnip & Associates, PLLC. Contact us today for a free initial case review to learn how our Upper Michigan dog bite attorneys can help you pursue your claim.
Getting the compensation you deserve after a dog bite can be more challenging than it should be, especially from a family member or friend who owns the dog that injured you. Hiring experienced legal representation can take the stress of your case off your shoulders. But how do you choose the right attorney for you? For years, injured clients throughout Michigan and the Upper Peninsula have relied on the legal team at Atnip & Associates, PLLC, for effective advocacy because of:
Dog bites can inflict various injuries and medical issues, depending on how aggressive a dog gets during an attack. Common injuries or complications suffered by dog bite victims include:
A dog attack that doesn’t involve biting can cause other injuries. For example, if a dog claws at or knocks down a victim, they might suffer fractures, spinal injuries, internal organ injuries, or traumatic brain injuries.
Michigan’s dog bite statute imposes strict liability on a dog owner for injuries their animal inflicts when it bites another person in public or on private property (including the dog owner’s property). With strict liability, a dog bite victim does not need to prove that the dog’s owner knew that their animal had aggressive or vicious tendencies due to prior attacks or biting incidents, as they would in “one-bite rule” states. A dog bite injury victim also does not need to prove that the bite occurred due to the dog owner’s negligence, such as failing to properly restrain or maintain the dog’s enclosure.
However, when a dog attacks and injures a person without biting them, such as when a dog lunges at and knocks a person to the ground, the injured person may have to bring a pet owner negligence claim instead of a strict liability one.
Be aware that a dog owner may have several defenses to liability for dog bite injuries, such as:
Under Michigan’s comparative fault law, a person who bears some of the fault for a dog bite or attack that injures them could have their compensation reduced in proportion to the percentage of responsibility they bear. Furthermore, if their share of fault exceeds the fault of the dog owner and other parties, they may lose the opportunity to recover compensation for non-economic losses like pain and suffering.
If you’ve been injured by a dog bite or attack, you may have the right to seek financial recovery for the following:
In the wake of a dog attack, you can take the following steps to put yourself in a better position to seek financial compensation for your injuries:
Finally, contact a Michigan dog bite lawyer from Atnip & Associates, PLLC, as soon as possible to pursue financial relief and accountability for the harm and losses you’ve suffered.
The Michigan statute of limitations typically gives you three years to file a lawsuit after suffering injuries from a dog bite. That said, you can protect your rights to compensation by contacting a lawyer immediately after a dog attack to ensure you file your claims on time. Otherwise, you risk jeopardizing your opportunity to seek financial recovery from a liable dog owner, as the court will likely dismiss a late-filed claim as untimely.
While you focus on recovering from the injuries you suffered in a dog attack, a lawyer from Atnip & Associates, PLLC, can pursue your claim effectively and efficiently on your behalf. Let us fight for the injury compensation you need and deserve by:
| Case | Settlement | Description |
|---|---|---|
“Confidential Dog Bite Case” | $325,000 | Michigan dog bite victim; details limited under confidentiality agreement. |
“Confidential Dog Bite Case” | $67,000 | Details withheld pursuant to confidentiality agreement. |
If you’ve suffered injuries in a dog bite or attack in the Upper Peninsula, you deserve to seek compensation and accountability for your harm and loss. Contact Atnip & Associates, PLLC, today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an Upper Peninsula personal injury attorney to discuss your legal options after someone else’s dog has attacked you and inflicted physical and emotional trauma.
