Spartanburg Dog Bite Lawyer
In 2022, insurance companies paid over $1 billion to settle dog bite injury claims. This sum, which has increased significantly since 2010, seems enormous. But to insurance companies, this mind-blowing amount of money is hardly more than a drop in the bucket. Insurance companies earn over $1 trillion a year. They have almost unlimited resources with which to fight these claims. As a result, only the most tenacious Spartanburg dog bite lawyer should handle these matters.
That’s what you’ll find at The Stanley Law Group. Our team is not satisfied with anything less than the best possible result under the circumstances. To obtain such results, we begin with a thorough case evaluation that breaks down the complex nature of South Carolina dog bite law. Then, once we collect evidence that supports your claims and refutes insurance company defenses, we stand up for you, in the courtroom and in the negotiating room.
Spartanburg Dog Bite Lawyers and Animal Attack Injuries
One reason the average dog bite settlement has increased so much is that doctors better understand the physical and emotional nature of dog bite injuries. The physical wound usually include:
- Broken Bones: Animal attack injuries begin not with the bite, but with the knockdown. If as is usually the case, the attacking animal is a large, rottweiler-style dog and the victim is a fragile child, the victim usually sustains serious broken bones as the dog lunges at, and lands on top of, the victim. These broken bones require extensive reconstructive surgery, as well as painful and expensive physical therapy.
- Head Injuries: This fall motion also causes the brain to slam against the skull, almost like putting a golf ball in a mayonnaise jar, filling the jar with water, and shaking the jar violently. The resulting injuries are usually permanent. Normally, dead brain cells do not regenerate. Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries (sTBIs) kill tens of thousands of Amercians every year.
- Exsanguination: Excessive blood loss is often the official cause of death in a fatal injury case. A dog’s teeth puncture blood vessels and internal organs. As a result, many victims lose about a fifth of their blood by the time doctors treat their wounds. Vulnerable victims, like children and old people, usually never fully recover from such wounds.
Likewise, these victims normally never fully recover from emotional injuries, like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The extreme stress of a dog bite alters the brain’s chemical composition. This imbalance causes symptoms like hypervigilance, or an unnatural fear of all dogs, depression, flashbacks, and anger. These symptoms make it almost impossible to function on a day-to-day basis.
Liability Issues
South Carolina’s dog bite law is very complex. Most victims have several legal options. Each option has some pros and cons.
Strict liability is a good example. In the Palmetto State, dog owners could be liable for animal attack damages even if they did not know the animal was dangerous. These damages usually include compensation for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
The broad nature of this law is a two-edged sword. Its sweeping scope alienated many pet owner jurors, who believe the law penalizes owners who rescue animals with checkered pasts.
Strict liability does not mean an automatic win. A Spartanburg dog bite lawyer must be ready to deal with the provocation defense.
An owner is not liable for damages if the victim provoked the animal. In this context, provocation is an intentional and physical act. Victims cannot legally provoke animals if they make sudden moves or loud noises. Furthermore, to “provoke” an animal means to inflict so much physical pain on the animal that it must react violently in self-defense.
Count on a Hard-Working Spartanburg County Lawyer
Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced dog bite lawyer in Spartanburg, contact The Stanley Law Group. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.
