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While dogs are known as man’s best friend, they are animals, which may lead to unpredictable behavior. Unfortunately, even the most docile dog can unexpectedly bite a person. According to the AVMA, dogs bite around 4.5 million Americans every year. Of these dog bite victims, 800,000 people, or roughly one out of six, need medical attention for injuries suffered in the attack. Sadly, children are the victims in almost half of all dog-bite incidents, resulting in significant injuries.
If you or a loved one suffered a dog bite injury, you should not have to pay for your medical care yourself. The dog’s owner should compensate you, especially if the owner made an error in managing the dog. For a free review of your case, contact Goodman Acker at (248) 286-8100 as soon as possible.
How Our Dog Bite Lawyer in Grand Rapids Can Help You
Throughout our decades of service as a Grand Rapids dog bite lawyer, we know the importance of our work to help victims of these kinds of animal attacks. When you are facing a long recovery and missed time at your job while recovering from your dog bite, you need an advocate to stand up for your legal right to seek compensation. Some of the services we provide for victims of dog bites who hire us include:
- Negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf
- Helping you find the best medical treatment
- Helping you understand your rights
- Developing a strategy for seeking compensation
- Taking over all communications with the insurance company, so you can focus on healing.
We Will Work Toward Helping You Win the Compensation You Deserve
When trying to calculate the settlement we are going to request from the insurer, our dog bite lawyer in Grand Rapids will seek compensation for items such as:
- Current medical bills
- Future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Future lost wages
- Judgment for ongoing pain and suffering
- Judgment for ongoing mental anguish
- Judgment for disfiguring or disabling injuries.
Why Choose Goodman Acker
Our past clients know how hard our dog bite lawyer in Grand Rapids worked to secure a settlement that gave them the compensation they needed to recover from this potentially life-altering injury. Led by our founding partner, Barry J. Goodman, we never cut corners when it comes to building a case for our clients. We know that the best way to achieve a successful outcome in your case is through significant preparation. You can trust that we will never go into a negotiating session or a court case without having prepared for every potential twist the case could encounter.
Simply Put: We Get Results
Throughout our history of representing clients and of achieving winning results in personal injury cases, we’ve won numerous seven- and eight-figure settlement amounts in cases like car accidents or truck accidents. We even won a six-figure dog bite settlement for a client. It would be unethical for us to guarantee that you will win a certain amount in your case, but we do guarantee that we will work tirelessly on your behalf to try to win the largest possible settlement for you.
Our client testimonials tell you everything you need to know about how our team represents our clients. We listen to our clients’ concerns, we investigate their cases thoroughly, and we take the time to put together a strong strategy that we believe will result in the outcome we are seeking.
Our Grand Rapids Dog Bite Attorney Can Help You Understand the Most Common Dog Bite Injuries
A dog bite injury can range from minor to severe. Sometimes an injury can resolve with treatment, but in other cases, a dog bite can result in long-lasting effects. If our dog bite attorney in Grand Rapids proves that negligent actions led to your injury, you may receive compensation in a legal claim. The most common dog bite injuries are:
- Puncture wounds
- Facial injuries
- Eye injuries
- Broken bones
- Torn scalps and ears.
There are many elements of a dog bite injury that could affect the amount of compensation you can receive in a Grand Rapids dog bite legal case. The more severe your injuries, the more potential there is for a higher settlement amount. If your case goes to court, it may be more likely you would win an award that would compensate you fairly for the injuries you suffered in the dog attack. At Goodman Acker, our dog bite lawyers in Grand Rapids will leverage our skills and experience to obtain the best possible outcome in your case.
Dog bites can also pose a high risk of infection. They can cause long-term nerve damage. Dog bites can cause deep tears or lacerations in the skin, often penetrating past the epidermis and into the bones, blood vessels, muscles, and nerves. These injuries usually have an uneven zigzag pattern, making them harder for doctors to stitch up without massive scarring. Dog bites also cause excessive bleeding. Any dog bite, regardless of size, should receive treatment from a medical professional. Be sure to retain any records of your medical treatment because it will provide important evidence for your legal claim. It is important to provide documentation of your initial treatment and any follow up appointments you have.
Some of our clients believe that only a full-fledged dog attack can become a legal case. However, even one bite can cause serious injury. That injury may also merit a legal claim. If a dog bites you more than once, it is then considered a dog attack. A single bite from the dog works as a warning to you. When the dog bites more than once, it is intending to hurt you. The dog may also knock you down or scratch at you with its paws to cause further injury. When you have severe injuries from an attack, our dog bite lawyer in Grand Rapids may have a better chance of helping you receive a larger settlement.
Our Dog Bite Lawyer in Grand Rapids Knows the Most Common Breeds of Aggressive Dogs
While any dog can bite, it’s important to be aware that several breeds are known to be more aggressive than others, so that you can take precautions in their presence. These breeds include:
- Akita
- Doberman
- Pit bull
- German shepherd
- Rottweiler
If a dog owner does not properly restrain a breed of dog known to be aggressive, this can be an important fact that our Grand Rapids dog bite attorney can use to try to prove negligence in your accident, helping us move toward winning a settlement for you.
Tips From Our Grand Rapids Dog Bite Lawyer About How to Handle a Dog Bite
Our Grand Rapids dog bite lawyer potentially can help you seek compensation for your injuries. However, we will need to show that negligence occurred on the part of the owner. We need a doctor’s verification that your injuries came from the dog bite. To be able to do this, you and our Grand Rapids dog bite attorney will need to follow a few steps.
- Report the dog bite to a law enforcement agency, such as animal control.
- Try to learn the name of the dog’s owner. This isn’t always easy to do if you encountered a dog running loose. It’s not possible to file a claim for your injury unless you can make a claim against the owner. If police or animal control responds to the attack, they may be able to help you find the owner.
- If there were any witnesses to the attack, obtain their names and contact information.
- Take pictures of your injuries.
- According to University of Michigan Health, you should seek medical attention immediately. Dog bites are highly susceptible to infection and need to be cleaned and disinfected. If a stray dog bites you, you may need shots as a precaution for rabies.
- Finally, contact Goodman Acker’s personal injury attorneys as soon as possible, so we can start to prepare for your case.
Reducing Your Chances of Suffering a Dog Bite
Always behave cautiously around dogs you do not know (and that do not know you). Don’t ever make sudden movements toward an unfamiliar dog. If the owner is present, ask them if the dog is friendly before approaching the animal. Don’t ever disturb a dog that’s eating, sleeping, or caring for its puppies.
Our Dog Bite Lawyer in Grand Rapids Clearly Understands Michigan’s Dog Bite Laws
Under Michigan common law, guidelines state that our dog bite lawyer in Grand Rapids only has to prove that the dog owner behaved in a negligent way. Under Michigan Dog Bite Statute MCL 287.351, if the victim of a dog bite is lawfully on the property, and if the victim did not provoke the dog, the owner of the dog can be liable for the injuries from the bite. The statute has three key points:
- Knowing that the dog could be dangerous is irrelevant.
- You must be on the property lawfully.
- Provocation is the only defense available to the dog owner.
For a free consultation about your case, contact Goodman Acker at (248) 286-8100 today.
Our Dog Bite Lawyer Helps You Understand Whether Provocation Occurred
If the dog bit you because you were provoking it, you may not have a valid legal claim to compensation. This doesn’t refer only to an act of intentional provocation. Provocation can occur even if you inadvertently upset or angered the dog. If your intentional or unintentional action would have caused the average dog to bite, Michigan law likely will regard it as provocation, which would bar your claim.
Dog Owners Must Reasonably Control Their Dogs
Failure to use reasonable care in controlling the dog is another key to establishing negligence in a dog bite case. If the dog bite occurred because of the owner’s inability to supervise the dog properly, to put a leash on the dog, or to warn of the dog’s aggressiveness, the owner could be held liable for damages. It’s difficult to prove negligence in a dog bite case, which makes it all the more important to retain an established dog bite lawyer in Grand Rapids to protect your rights and to seek the settlement you deserve. As a trusted dog bite lawyer in Grand Rapids, Goodman Acker is ready to take on your case and to seek to prove negligence.
Why Should You Hire Our Dog Bite Attorney for Your Bite Injury?
If a dog injured you or a loved one, it’s essential to find trustworthy legal representation so that you can seek compensation for any loss associated with your injury. A dog owner may be held responsible for reimbursing you for losses incurred from the attack, including medical or psychological health care bills, lost wages, mental anguish, or pain and suffering from the attack.
You could try to negotiate a settlement yourself with the dog owner’s insurance company. However, the laws in Michigan regarding dog bites are complex and can be confusing. That’s why you need the experienced personal injury attorneys at Goodman Acker to help you navigate the process of seeking compensation for your injuries and losses. In the case of serious injury from a bite, you deserve to have your expenses covered, especially if you have mounting medical bills or had to be out of work for any length of time due to your injuries. Let us fight for you, while you focus on recovering.
Goodman Acker Is the Dog Bite Lawyer in Grand Rapids to Trust
Contact the team at Goodman Acker today at (248) 286-8100 to discuss your dog bite injury. With more than 150 years of combined experience on our team, our dog bite lawyer in Grand Rapids has the knowledge and expertise to work toward the settlement you deserve. You can reach us by phone, chat, or via our convenient online contact form for a free consultation.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY BARRY J. GOODMAN
Barry J. Goodman has devoted his professional life to keeping courthouse doors open for victims seeking justice. Always a tireless advocate for his own clients, Goodman sees his responsibility as a Detroit personal injury attorney in a broader sense as well. [ Attorney Bio ]
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