Who pays for injury damages from dog bites?

By successfully navigating the dog-bite laws in Connecticut, you may be able to secure compensation for medical damages you incur from an animal attack. However, you would probably have to establish in some way that the owner was responsible for the dog’s vicious action.

In most cases, the owner of a dog would be the first person you would want to approach for compensation. If you reached a reasonable settlement, or if a court decided that you deserved monetary compensation, then that would be the end of the matter in most cases. However, you may not have to rely completely on the caretaker or owner of the dog. The range of other potentially responsible parties might surprise you.

In certain situations, there could be other variables at work. According to the Office of Legislative Research, landlords may also be liable if their tenants’ dogs bit you. This argument comes from a Connecticut Supreme Court decision. In the case, a landlord knew about a violent dog but did not take adequate precautions against the possibility of injury.

There are several other factors that might also affect your case when it comes to pet-related attacks. These include, the involvement of your child, multiple-dog incidents and your legal rights to be in the area where the attack occurred.

Generally speaking, your first step would be to establish whether the dog’s owner was negligent, or else that there was some knowledge of the dog’s tendency to bite people or act aggressively. Each case may have specific complications, so do not read this as legal advice. It is only informative material.