Baton Rouge Dog Bite Lawyers 

Getting bitten by a dog can be a frightening experience. The damages can be serious, both physically and psychologically. At Beall & Thies, we love dogs—on any given day, there might be three of them right here in our Baton Rouge office. But as dog lovers, we also take our responsibilities for the safety of others seriously. When our fellow dog owners don’t do that, there needs to be accountability, and state law in Louisiana  provides those who have been bitten a path to compensation. 

The Baton Rouge dog bite lawyers at Beall & Thies have deep experience in handling dog bite cases and getting fair settlements for victims. Call today at (225) 577-6223 or contact us online to set up a consultation.

Strict Liability & Louisiana’s One-Bite Rule

If there is reason to believe a dog is dangerous, then the state of Louisiana applies strict liability to owners. This separates dog bite cases from others in the personal injury sphere. In a standard personal injury case—let’s say a car accident—the defendant can argue that they were acting responsibility, obeying the rules of the road, and that the accident was really no one’s fault. To put it in legal terms, the defendant can argue they did not breach their duty of care. 

When strict liability kicks in though, the defendant’s care, or lack thereof is no longer relevant. The mere fact that there was a dog bite, and the victim was damaged is sufficient grounds for a lawsuit and financial recovery. 

The key though, is that for strict liability to apply the dog must be considered dangerous. There are several criteria used in determining when that threshold is crossed, but it is most commonly called “the one bite rule”. That is, on the first bite, a dog owner is allowed to defend themselves on the grounds they exercised a reasonable duty of care. But after that, the dog is considered a potential danger and strict liability applies to any future bites. 

One important defense that dog owners can still turn to is provocation. If a dog was provoked in any way—and this can include something as basic as an uninvited attempt to pet the dog—then that can be a defense against strict liability. If a dog bite happens in the presence of witnesses, the victim is well-advised to get their contact information, so our Baton Rouge dog bites attorney can follow up and investigate whether the provocation defense will be used and how it might be defeated in court. 

Get the fair settlement you deserve. Call Beall & Thies at (225) 577-6223 or fill out our online contact form to set up a consultation.

Dog Bite Damages & the Severity of the Bite

The victim of a bite can collect damages based on how severe the damages are, both financially and mentally. The financial damages start with the costs of treating the wound, along with any follow-up. It’s also possible that the experience may require some therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. That cost of that psychiatric care can and should be a part of any fair settlement. 

Mental trauma goes beyond the costs of care. Let’s say a dog bite happened along a victim’s favorite walking trail, and they are now terrified of going back there. That constitutes a loss of quality of life. What if the victim feels real fear in the presence of their neighbor’s dog? 

All of these forms of depression and anxiety, to the extent that they can be substantiated by witness testimony, can be factored into a dog bite settlement. It’s the job of our Baton Rouge dog bites lawyer to develop that evidence and testimony in a way that helps a court understand how deeply the experience impacted the victim’s life.