Idaho state law requires dog owners to keep vicious dogs in a safe enclosure to ensure that they don’t escape and cause harm to others. If not in an enclosure, the dogs need to be properly restrained and controlled by the owner. Dog bites can not only be incredibly painful and traumatizing, but they may also have long-term consequences for the victim.
Under Idaho state law, a dog owner can be held liable for injuries caused by their pet if they knew or should have known that the dog is vicious and was likely to attack someone. However, this only applies if the attack happens when the dog is at the owner’s property. In the event that it trespasses another party’s property and attacks someone, the owner will be held liable regardless of whether or not they knew that the dog is vicious.
In the unfortunate event that you or a loved one is injured by a vicious dog, you may be entitled to financial compensation. However, handling such a claim requires in-depth knowledge of specific state laws. What’s more, you need strong and sufficient evidence to support your personal injury claim, which can be quite challenging. This is why you need to hire an experienced Boise dog bite lawyer to secure maximum compensation.
Get in touch with Boise Personal Injury Lawyers Group today at (208) 968-9060 to schedule your free initial consultation.
What Should I Do If I Was Bitten by a Dog?
A dog bite is something that you need to treat very seriously. Knowing what to do after an attack will help to protect your health as well as your legal rights.
Report the Incident to Authorities
Ideally, your first step should be to report the incident to the police. The responding officer will be able to determine whether animal control should be called in and whether a criminal offense has been committed. They will also file an official report. These authorities will also help you to determine whether the animal is current on all vaccines.
Document the Scene and Collect Information
If you haven’t suffered severe injuries, it will be wise to take photos and videos of the scene of the attack, the dog, the property, the dog owner, and all visible injuries. You also need to collect the name and contact information of the dog owner as well as any witnesses present at the scene.
Seek Medical Attention
This is particularly crucial if you suffered severe injuries or suspect that the dog had rabies. Do this as soon as possible. Remember, dog bites can lead to severe infections and nerve, tissue, and muscle damage. Seeking medical attention immediately also helps to strengthen your case.
Hire a Skilled Dog Bite Attorney!
It is in your best interest to hire an experienced dog bite attorney at Boise Personal Injury Lawyers Group as soon as possible after the accident. We will evaluate your case, advise you on your legal options, help you collect all the necessary evidence, and build a strong case for you. We will fight aggressively for you to ensure that you receive maximum compensation.
Who Do I Report a Dog Bite to in the State of Idaho?
After suffering a dog bite in the state of Idaho, it is important that you file an official report with the local police department or animal control agency. An official report will serve as a crucial piece of evidence when filing your claim.
In addition, these authorities will help you to establish whether the dog was properly vaccinated and they may also start tracking the animal to determine whether it has attacked other people or if it attacks other people which will help to prove your claim.
Why Should I Hire a Boise Dog Bite Lawyer?
When looking to file a dog bite personal injury claim in Idaho, you should keep in mind the fact that the dog owner and their insurance company won’t be willing to just pay out the compensation amount that you are pursuing. They will utilize all the available legal defenses to avoid having to pay anything.
Successfully proving that the dog owner knew about the dog’s aggressive behavior and was negligent in managing the dog and securing maximum compensation can be quite challenging. This is why you need an experienced dog bite attorney on your side.
An attorney at Boise Personal Injury Lawyers Group will help your case in a number of ways including:
- Evaluating and investigating your case
- Collecting all the necessary evidence to support your claims
- Working with expert witnesses to strengthen your case
- Offering legal advice and guidance throughout the process
- Negotiating a favorable settlement agreement with the dog owner’s insurance company
- If need be, they will prepare your case for trial and provide effective legal representation
Who Is Responsible for Dog Bite Injuries?
In most cases, the dog owner is usually held financially responsible for injuries caused to others by their dog. Under Idaho’s state law, a dog owner is liable for injuries caused by their dog if the dog physically attacks, bites, wounds, or harms an individual who’s not trespassing, provided that the dog has not been physically provoked. You just have to prove that the dog owner was negligent in managing the dog.
However, it is important to note that dog bites are normally covered under homeowners’ insurance which means that the dog owners’ insurance company will cover the costs.
What Type of Compensation Can I Expect in a Dog Bite Case?
Dog bite victims can recover various types of damages in a successful dog bite personal injury claim in Idaho. These damages are typically categorized into two groups:
Economic Damages
These are meant to reimburse you for financial losses suffered as a result of the injuries inflicted by the dog. These include medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, travel costs, lost income, loss of earning capacity, etc.
Non-Economic Damages
These are designed to compensate you for non-monetary and subjective losses suffered as a result of the attack. These can include pain and suffering, scarring, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, etc.
What Does Idaho Law Say About Dog Bites?
There are two central points to understand about dog bite laws in Idaho.
Common-Law Liability
The state of Idaho doesn’t have an official dog bite statute, however, under the state’s common-law liability, a dog owner can be held liable for injuries caused by the dog, if proven that the owner’s negligence led to the injuries, regardless of the dog’s previous history.
Dangerous Dog Law
Idaho law describes a vicious dog as any dog, even when not provoked, bites, attacks, wounds, or injures an individual who at the time of the incident wasn’t trespassing.
Idaho’s dangerous dog law requires that owners of vicious or dangerous dogs keep their dogs in a secure enclosure from which they can’t escape and whose entry and exit are controlled by the owner of the dog. The rule adds that if not in an enclosure, the dog should be properly restrained using a chain that’s enough to keep the dog under control.
Statistics of Dog Bite Injuries
According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 4.5 million people suffer dog bite injuries each year in the U.S. Of these injuries, more than 800,000 require medical treatment. Unfortunately, dog bite injuries result in about 16 preventable fatalities annually. It was also found that most dog bites involved dogs that weren’t spayed or neutered.
Are There Time Limits for Filing a Dog Bite Lawsuit?
Idaho’s dog bite cases fall under personal injury law. And as per Idaho’s statute of limitations, you have two years from the date of your accident to file a claim. Once this period is over, you may permanently lose your right to take legal action against the liable party.
Seek the Assistance of an Experienced Boise Dog Bite Lawyer!
As you can see, the laws and facts surrounding dog bite cases can be quite complex and confusing. You need to involve the expert mind of someone who has in-depth knowledge of the relevant laws. They also need to have long-standing experience dealing with such cases to ensure the best outcome in your case. This is what you get with our skilled dog bite lawyers at Boise Personal Injury Lawyers Group.
We will leave no stone unturned in the quest to prove your innocence and the negligence of the dog owner. We understand that you might be going through a lot of pain, suffering, and mental anguish during this moment and the least we can do for you is to secure maximum financial compensation to help ease your burden. Call us today at (208) 968-9060 for a free case review!
