Brownsville Dog Bite Lawyer

How to Treat Dog Bites

If a dog bites you, you should seek medical care immediately. Just like being injured in an accident, it is incumbent upon you to get medical attention quickly and follow through with any prescribed treatment so that your injuries are not allowed to worsen.

You should follow these steps to clean the injury quickly and prevent infection:

1. If the bleeding is minor, let the wound bleed for a few minutes so that bacteria transmitted by the dog bite can be removed.
2. Use antibacterial soap and wash the wound, allowing water to flow over it for 5 minutes. This timeline is essential, as it helps to combat infection.
3. Cover the injury with sterile bandages, or a disposable paper towel if no bandages are accessible.
4. If you received a puncture wound, use an antibiotic ointment.
5. If you received a severe laceration, clean the wound and cover it with a sterile bandage, so you compress the bleeding and expedite clotting.

Assuming the wounds are minor, schedule an appointment with your regular physician as soon as you can.

If the injury is severe, visit Valley Regional Medical Center, Solara Hospital Brownsville, or Valley Baptist Medical Center for emergency treatment. Then, contact our Brownsville dog bite lawyers to make sure you get the compensation you deserve.

Civil Liability

The state of Texas does not have a dog bite specific statute. However, the state does have a ruling from the 1974 Texas Supreme Court case Marshall v. Ranne, which established the “one bite rule” and “negligence” requirements for said cases.

The negligence requirements in such cases could, for example, be situations where a dog owner, knowing their dog was aggressive, failed to put the dog on a leash when going for a walk or taking out the trash.

Another situation could be the owner failing to put a fence around the yard, thereby allowing the dog to run freely into neighboring yards and continue demonstrating aggressive behavior.

Strict Liability in Texas

Texas also has what is called “strict liability” rules for dog bite cases where it is known beforehand that the dog is dangerous. Dogs with histories of biting people can be classified as such, even if the previous bites caused no harm.

Legally, this means that as the injured party, you can recover damages just by demonstrating that the owner knew the dog was dangerous without proving that the owner failed to use reasonable care. Speak with an experienced premises liability lawyer in Brownsville to learn more about damages you might be entitled to.

Criminal Liability

In some situations, the bite results in severe injury, and the owner faces criminal charges in addition to civil liability. According to the Texas Health and Safety Code, owners may face felony charges if they were criminally negligent.

This could mean two things: the owner failed to secure the dog, and the dog attacked someone, without being provoked, far away from its home; or it could mean the owner was aware that the dog was dangerous and the dog attacked someone without being provoked, outside of its home. In either case, the attack resulted in serious bodily injuries or death.

If the dog bite results in death, the owner could face a civil lawsuit in the form of a wrongful death claim filed by their family on behalf of the deceased.

Should I File a Police Report?

If a dog bites you, your first step is to treat the wound and get medical treatment for any other injuries. After that, you can contact the Brownsville Police Department and file a report directly or through the Animal Control Department.

There are times when the dog owner is your friend, you are afraid of the owner, or even cases when you don’t want something terrible to happen to the dog. However, it is still recommended that you file a report with animal control at the least because:

• Such documentation can prevent others from being similarly attacked. Once a report is filed, owners are more likely to take precautions and avoid dangerous behavior.
• This gives you legal documentation for a lawsuit or insurance claim. Such a report will also help you obtain records about the dog’s history, vaccinations, and owner history, which could prove useful evidence in your case.

Animal control needs help protecting dogs that are being abused or neglected, which can often prompt aggressive behavior. Such reports may very well help the dog.

Once you decide to take legal action, your Brownsville attorney can help you to file the claim and subsequently follow any legal steps you may need after that.

Call The Law Giant, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers at 956.277.9125 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.