Atlanta Dog Bite Attorneys 

Dog bites can be highly traumatic. Lawyers who handle dog cases understand the direct financial and emotional costs of animal attacks. At Van Sant Law, our attorneys help dog attack victims seek full economic and noneconomic damages.

Economic Damages

Some of the direct economic costs you might incur include expenses related to medical care, including doctor’s visits and hospital bills, diagnostic imaging, copays, prescription medications, mental health care, and more. Your animal bite lawyer can pursue compensation for the expenses you already incurred and future medical costs related to the dog bite or attack.

In addition to medical expenses, you may have also incurred additional financial losses. For example, your dog bite injury may have resulted in a loss of income or a diminished future earning capacity. You may need to hire someone to help with household cleaning, maintenance, other chores, unexpected childcare expenses, or a loss of future benefits. If you incurred these losses, your dog bite lawyer can advocate for you to be compensated appropriately.

Noneconomic Damages

Dog bite injuries can leave victims with deep and long-lasting emotional trauma. While noneconomic damages are not as easy to quantify as direct financial losses, they may be compensable nonetheless. For example, your injury may have resulted in your inability to continue doing the things you love or may make maintaining previous relationships more difficult. If you are facing these types of losses, your local attorney may argue that you deserve compensation for loss of consortium or a diminished quality of life.

Similarly, you may be entitled to damages for the emotional distress, pain and suffering, inconvenience, and loss of society and support you experienced due to the animal attack.

In some dog bite cases, victims may be entitled to punitive damages to punish the animal’s owner. However, these types of damages are generally limited to extremely serious attacks.

When you suffer a dog bite injury, acting quickly and efficiently can make a difference in your recovery and your ability to pursue a legal claim.

Below are the steps you should take immediately following the attack.

Seek Immediate Medical Attention

Even if the injury seems minor, getting medical care as soon as possible is essential. Dog bites can cause infections or other complications, even from small puncture wounds. Serious bites may lead to more severe outcomes, such as nerve damage, deep tissue injuries, or fractures. A medical professional can properly clean the wound, assess the risk of infection, and provide necessary treatments, including vaccinations for tetanus or rabies if required.

Quick medical treatment ensures your health is protected and creates a record of your injury, which can be valuable when pursuing a claim for compensation.

Document the Incident

Documenting the incident is a critical next step.

Collect as much evidence as possible from the scene:

• Photographs. Take photos of your injuries, the location where the attack occurred, and the dog if possible. These images can serve as evidence when filing a claim.
• Witness information. If anyone witnessed the attack, gather their contact information and written or recorded statements. Their testimony can help corroborate your account of the incident.
• Details about the dog and owner. Try to obtain the dog owner’s contact details and any information about the dog’s vaccination history. These details can be helpful for medical and legal purposes.

Report the Bite

Reporting the incident to local authorities is essential for documenting your case and addressing the dangerous dog. In Georgia, you can report a dog bite to the Animal Services department in the county where the bite occurred or call the local police or sheriff’s office. Authorities will investigate the incident, including determining whether the dog has a history of aggressive behavior and enforcing local animal control laws.

Reporting the attack creates an official record and helps prevent future attacks by documenting the dog’s behavior.

Consult an Attorney

Next, it’s time to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. Dog bite cases can be legally complex, especially when proving negligence or liability on the dog owner's part.

An attorney can help:

• Protect your rights. Your lawyer can work to hold the responsible party accountable for their negligence.
• Seek compensation. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. An attorney can negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf and, if necessary, represent you in court to secure a fair settlement.

At Van Sant Law, we help dog bite victims seek compensation to cover their medical expenses and recover from their injuries.

Unfortunately, yes. Under Georgia law, dog bite victims’ claims can be barred by the statute of limitations. The statute of limitations is essentially a time limit for filing negligence claims. In most cases, victims have up to two years from the date of the dog bite to take legal action.

While consulting with and retaining a dog bite law firm may not be the first thing on your mind, it is essential not to wait too long to seek legal guidance and advice. If you delay starting your case, you could be barred from recovering compensation.

Another reason to talk to an attorney sooner rather than later is because proving a dog owner’s negligence and liability will depend largely on evidence. It is generally easiest to gather evidence when a dog bite is relatively recent.