Las Vegas Dog Bite Lawyer

If you or a person you know in the Las Vegas area has been injured by a dog, you could be entitled to compensation. McDonald Worley is your trusted resource for helping victims of dog bites such as yourself navigate the legal process. You can get in touch with us by calling (877) 721-3423 and talk to a dog bite lawyer in Las Vegas or complete the online evaluation form provided. Our personal injury lawyers will evaluate your claim at no cost to you and help you secure the compensation that you deserve.

Will the Owner of the Dog be Held Liable for a Bite?

The only way for the owner of a dog to be held liable for a dog bite is for the injured victim to prove negligence on the part of the owner.

The injured victim is required to demonstrate that the owner of the dog did not use reasonable care to prevent the injury, that lack of care caused the injury, and that the damages of the injured victim, such as lost wages, medical expenses, and other losses resulting from the injury.

Under Nevada law, the dog owner is not required to be knowledgeable of the dangerous propensity of the dog as a precondition to recovery.

Henderson, Clark County, and North Las Vegas all have ordinances and laws that require dogs to be always on leash when not on their owner’s premises, with some exceptions such as some of the rural areas in Clark County or when at a specially designated dog parks where it is allowed for animals to be off-leash.

If a person were to violate these laws, and another person is injured as a result, the party responsible can be held negligent per se, which mean s that other evidence might not be required to show that the person was actually negligent and thus liable for any injuries caused.

Leash laws are usually passed to ensure that people stay safe from dog bites so that the owner is held per se negligent if a person is bitten by a dog that’s off-leash.

What Types of Evidence Do You Check for When Evaluating Dog Bite Cases in Las Vegas?

When evaluating a potential case, dog bite lawyers in Las Vegas have to evaluate the nature of the attack, including aggression history as well as offensive and defensive attacks. The dog bite attorney then determines whether the attack involved an unwillingness on the dog’s part to end the attack, multiple wounds on different parts of the body, or even shaking. All these are examples of behavioral problems that can play a role in your claim..

It is equally important to determine whether the dog was acting either defensively or offensively; whether the dog acted on its own or was provoked. An experienced dog bite lawyer in Las Vegas will discuss the facts extensively during your case evaluation.

What Are the Time Limits Within Which to File a Claim for Damages for a Dog Bite in Las Vegas?

In Nevada, you have 2 years from the date you suffered the personal injury to file your lawsuit for damages against the negligent party. Your case might not be heard if you wait past the deadline. You need to be careful not to wait until the very last minute to get in touch with a dog bit lawyer in Las Vegas.

A great deal of work goes into case preparation before the claim is even filed and your dog bite lawyer in Las Vegas will want to collect and preserve evidence without delay while also guiding you through the steps you need to follow to obtain proper medical care as well as the compensation you are entitled to.

How Our Dog Bite Lawyer in Las Vegas Can Help You Secure Compensation

The dog bite lawyers in Las Vegas at McDonald Worley always strive to treat all clients with utmost compassion and understanding. We put a lot of care and attention into all our cases to ensure that we give you the highest level of representation in court. At our law firm, our dog bite lawyer takes the issue of dog bites seriously and strive to give all our clients full support and attention for the duration of the case.

U.S. Dog Bite Statistics

The American Humane Association has compiled the following dog bite statistics:

• 50 percent of all dog bites involve children below the age of 12
• 58 percent of all deaths from dog bites happened on the dog owner’s property
• Medical care is needed for about 800,000 bites
• The number of dog bites in the United States stands at about 4.7 million every year
• 70 percent of dog bites that resulted in a fatality involved children below the age of 12
• The probability of a child sustaining dog bite injuries is 3 times higher than that of an adult

What Does Nevada Law Say About Liability in Dog Bite Cases?

There’s no statewide “dog bite” statute in Nevada, which is why there isn’t a strict liability when it comes to dog bite injuries in Nevada. Instead, under Nevada’s “one-bite” rule, the owner of a dog is usually not liable for any dog bite injuries unless their dog has bitten someone else in the past and the owner was aware of this.

Still, a dog’s owner can still be held liable for injuries the first time their dog bites somebody if:

• Negligence is proven on the owner’s part
• The dog had a history of threatening behavior

What Kind of Damages are Usually Sought in Dog Bite Cases?

If you have suffered a dog bite in Nevada, a lawyer can help you secure compensation for:

• Lost wages
• Medical bills (including reconstructive surgery, if required)
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of life enjoyment
• Loss of use of a limb
• Scarring
• Physical or occupational therapy

If the dog had been previously categorized as vicious, you could be also entitled to punitive damages under Nevada law.

Not all injury claims that relate to dogs actually occur from bites. Other injuries that a dog owner or their insurer might be liable for in Nevada include:

• Scratches that get infected
• Slip-and-fall accidents that happen when an overeager dog jumps on somebody
• Injuries sustained when running away from an aggressive dog

What Happens If a Child is a Dog Bite Victim?

Parents and legal guardians of the child have the right to enter into an out-of-court settlement if their minor has sustained a dog bite in Nevada. However, such settlements are typically not legally binding unless first approved by the district court in:

• The minor’s county of residence, or
• If the minor isn’t a Nevada resident, in the county where the dog bite happened.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that children are more likely than adults to require and receive medical attention for dog bites. The rate of dog bite-related injuries is highest for children in the 5-to 9-year-old group.

If your child has sustained a dog bite in Las Vegas, you can trust our lawyers to help him/her get the care and compensation entitled to him/her.

What’s the Process Involved in Making a Dog Bite Claim in Las Vegas?

The most successful dog injury claims in Las Vegas are settled out of court. However, it is sometimes necessary to make a more formal claim with an insurance company or by filing a lawsuit in a court in Clark County, Nevada.

The steps that you take before you file the claim or lawsuit are critical to your success in obtaining a favorable judgment or settlement in a dog bite case in Las Vegas. Below is a breakdown of the most important of those steps.

Injury Documentation

Careful documentation of your injuries is critical to obtaining a settlement in a Nevada dog bite case. The steps you should take include:

• Photographing your injuries within the shortest time possible
• Keeping records of time lost away from work if you want to recover compensation for lost wages in Nevada; and
• Notifying and filing a report with your county or city Animal Control Officer or Health Officer

Keep in mind that the vast majority of counties and cities in Nevada require victims of dog bites and dog owners to report dog bite incidents, typically within 48 hours. Municipalities that have a mandatory reporting law include:

• The city of Henderson
• The city of Las Vegas
• Unincorporated areas of Clark County

Even though reporting might not be legally required in your county or city, it is still advisable to have a police report on record. You should still report dog bites even when you don’t know who the dog’s owner actually is.

Discovering Who Owns the Dog Responsible for the Bite in Las Vegas

If you don’t know the identity of the owner of the dog that bit you, a private investigator or local animal officer can help you discover the information.

Our Nevada dog bite attorneys offer free consultations to help you determine whether or not you have sufficient information to allow our team of skilled investigators identify who the owner of the dog that bit you actually is.

Contacting the Owner of the Dog

Contacting the owner of the dog is one of the most important steps when you want to recover dog bite damages. While you might be tempted to do this yourself, particularly if the owner is a friend, it is hard to overstate how important tit it to first consult with an experienced dog bite lawyer in Nevada first.

People tend to be very attached to their dogs and making a claim for a bite can be incredibly upsetting to them. The dog bite victim will often be inclined to try to make the owner feel better. Unfortunately, this may result in the victim of the dog bite saying something that might jeopardize their claim.

Our Las Vegas dog bite lawyers can help you decide whether and how you should approach the owner of the dog so that you never lose the right to compensation for your dog bite injury in Nevada.

Making a Dog Bite Insurance Claim

If the owner of the dog that bit you has liability insurance that includes dog bite coverage, you should ensure that an insurance adjuster is assigned to your case. Fortunately, when there’s insurance in a Nevada dog bite case, you can almost always be sure that there will be money for paying for your claim. Unfortunately, insurance adjusters are masters when it comes to delaying and finding ways to say “no.”

Our Las Vegas personal injury attorneys, however, know about all the tricks used by insurance adjusters.. Before we even get in touch with the insurance company, we will have everything that we need to make a compelling claim for an out-of-court settlement of your dog bite case in Nevada.

Contact Our Dog Bite Lawyers in Las Vegas For Your Free Case Review

If you or a person you know is looking for a seasoned Las Vegas dog bite attorney, we take this opportunity to invite you to get in touch with us for your free consultation.

At McDonald Worley, we have a team of Las Vegas personal injury firm, medical professionals, and investigators ready to fight to ensure that victims of dog bites in Nevada get the justice and compensation that they deserve.

Contact us today at (877) 721-3423 or fill out the form provided to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.

You could be entitled to substantial damages for your Las Vegas dog bite injury!