Who Pays For A Police Dog Bite Injury | Free Consult
When it comes to who pays for a dog bite injury from a police dog, liability differs from case to case. Generally, however, our lawyers can hold handlers and law enforcement agencies accountable for your police dog bite injuries.
Police dogs are a common tool in most police departments. The animals perform a wide range of law enforcement activities. Although the dogs undergo special training, sometimes they can cause catastrophic injuries to you or your loved one.
Who Is Liable for Police Dog Bites?
Police handlers have a wider jurisdiction regarding police dog bites. The law prohibits law enforcement from using unnecessary force against a suspect. The basis of your claim may want to prove the handlers were negligent in managing a police dog.
If a police dog was vicious to attack you in a public or private space unprovoked, the lawsuit could also hold the trainers, local government, and police force accountable. Our lawyer can prove the police dog lacked adequate training and was unsafe leading to them attacking you without cause.
How Do I File a Claim Against the Police After a Dog Bite?
After a police dog bite accident, there are steps to take when filing your lawsuit. You must send a tort claim to the relevant police department. Once you file the claim, you must wait for the accused parties to respond.
The police department will mostly reject the claim, and only on rare occasions can they accept liability. If you were a suspect or guilty of a crime during the dog bite accident, it might be difficult for you to get compensation but not impossible. There are restrictions on how police should treat a suspect.
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What Can I Do After a Police Dog Bite?
Unless the injury after a police dog bite is superficial, you must seek medical attention. Police train dogs to bite and to hold a suspect until their handlers intervene. Sometimes, they can react unprovoked and attack someone.
If you are a victim of a police dog bite accident, you will need to stay calm after the accident and take appropriate steps. The following steps can assist you in recovering damages from the liable parties after a police dog bite:
Seek Treatment
The priority after the accident is your general well-being. Depending on the severity of the injuries, you can opt to visit the nearest hospital or call emergency services at the accident scene. Medical practitioners will assist and care for your injuries so that you can recover.
Secure Evidence
While at the accident scene, look around to see if there are any public cameras. Video footage will show what events led to your injuries. You can also talk to witnesses and get their contact information.
Get a Lawyer
Filing a police dog bite lawsuit is a complex matter. The laws surrounding liability in such cases might confuse you on who is liable to compensate you, depending on the cause and type of your injuries. Our lawyers have 400 years of combined legal experience, and we can review the laws affecting your case with you.
What Damages Can I Get from Police Dog Bite Injuries?
When seeking compensation for injuries from a police dog bite, you can get reimbursement for various damages. Our lawyers must prove acts of negligence led up to or caused your injuries.
Some of the damages you could claim include:
Economic Damages
These are damages that have direct financial value to your case. Our lawyer can prove you were affected financially and seek to recover various costs. Some of the financial costs we can recover include:
- Medical bills
- Surgery costs
- Lost income
- Cost of medicine
Non-Economic Damages
Some damages have no fixed monetary value as they are subjective. Our lawyer will establish a fair and reasonable value you can claim for each loss of this kind. Some of the non-economic damages include:
- Grief
- Trauma
- Loss of consortium
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of life enjoyment
Wrongful Death
Though police dogs receive training, some can be vicious when pursuing a suspect. The grip on their bite can tear a blood vessel leading to injuries that result in loss of life. If your loved one loses their life due to police dog-related injuries, our lawyers could assist you in filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
What Common Injuries Do Police Dog Bites Cause?
The injuries you can get after a police dog bite can take different forms. The following injuries are common in police dog bite lawsuits:
Abrasions
These are superficial injuries that you can typically treat at home. They are scrapes and grazes on the skin that do not go past the epidermis. Although there likely won’t be much bleeding from such an injury, you should still seek medical attention.
Punctures
These can occur when a police dog’s teeth puncture the skin. The wounds from the dog bite injury tend to be deep. Though most police dogs receive vaccinations, some could have bacteria in their saliva and cause infection when your wound is not treated.
Lacerations
These are tears deep into the skin. A police dog can cause this injury by biting past your epidermis and into the muscle and bones. You will need medical assistants to stitch the wounds and prevent blood loss to treat such injuries.
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