Dog bite law is a unique combination of city and county ordinances, state statutory law, state case law (i.e., legal principles that result from specific lawsuits within the state), and common law (i.e., legal principles resulting from specific lawsuits from throughout the United States, usually as reported in authoritative legal works such as the Restatement of Law).
Dog bites can have serious ramifications. An attack can cause serious trauma, both physically and emotionally. Working with an attorney in Camden County or Gloucester County, we’ll provide a free consultation to understand the scope of your injuries.
Attacks can leave victims with facial injuries, lacerations, puncture wounds, scars, and other injuries. Injuries range from loss of limbs, toes or fingers, to lacerations that lead to stitches and physical therapy, to serious attacks that result in death. Your Burlington County personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of Vincent J. Ciecka, P.C. will treat all dog bite cases with the utmost importance and seriousness.
All states hold a person responsible for a dog bite if the person ordered or made the dog attack the victim, or if the person knowingly kept a dog that previously bit a person or exhibited a tendency or intention to someday bite a person. Additionally, almost all states make a person legally liable for negligence that results in any injury caused by a dog, and 
violating a public health and safety law such as a leash law or a prohibition against dogs running at large if it lead to the dog bite.
Some states refer to the doctrine of premises liability when the victim is harmed on the dog owner’s property, but the basis of liability nevertheless is grounded upon negligence. All of these principles apply to bites as well as non-bite injuries, and will be investigated thoroughly by your lawyer in Camden or Gloucester County. You might also note that, most American states and the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well, have passed statutes which create liability in the absence of the traditional requirements for legal responsibility.
These dog bite statutes vary widely. They may impose liability upon whomever had custody of the dog as well as its owner, apply to non-bite injuries as well as bites, limit their scope to only the victim’s medical bills, or provide for additional compensation if the dog previously bit a person. While the majority of dog bite statutes impose strict liability based on ownership of the dog, a number combine concepts of negligence, common law strict liability, and/or violations of local law, sometimes causing great confusion in the courts. Having a lawyer represent your case will ensure you obtain the best results for your case.
Working as reputable attorneys in South Jersey, we provide personalized attention when you need a dog bite or auto accident attorney in Camden County. Whether you require treatment that includes plastic surgery or treatment for rabies due to the attack you’ve suffered, we regularly work with insurance companies to provide the best and most thorough representation.
The usual defenses from a lawyer in dog bite claims around Gloucester or Camden County are that the victim provoked the dog, was a trespasser, was negligent, consciously assumed the risk of being bitten, or was a canine professional who was deemed to assume the risk. When the victim is a child, another defense is that his parent negligently failed to supervise him, and therefore was a cause of the accident (however, this defense is usually limited to an extreme lapse of supervision on the part of the parent). Because they are based on state statutes or judicial decisions, the defenses are different from state to state. Any particular defense might not apply in a specific case because of the particulars of the law in the jurisdiction where the incident happened, and our lawyers fight with a passion for your case.
Our team of attorneys understand the effect that dog bites can have on victims in Gloucester or Camden County and throughout South Jersey. We specialize as personal injury attorneys, and when you need an animal bite or slip and fall attorney in NJ, please contact us as soon as possible. We have been fighting for the rights of dog bite victims for over 37 years.
