Dogs are among the most common pets and are often thought of as a member of the family. Most of the time dogs are super friendly and loving pets, but occasionally, often without warning, they can turn vicious. When this happens, they can bite someone and often their victims are children. Unfortunately, they can cause serious injuries, especially in children.
Children are susceptible to serious dog bite injuries because they are smaller than adults and unable to defend themselves against aggressive dogs. There are many injuries children can suffer from because of a dog bite, some of them serious. These include:
- Nerve damage
- Facial scars
- Puncture wounds
- Lacerations requiring stitches
- Painful series of rabies shots because the rabies status of the dog is unknown
- Scars
- Eye injuries
- Broken bones
- Long-term emotional trauma because of the incident
A legal professional who is skilled in personal injury can help a family who is suffering because of a dog bite injury. They can advise their client on what their legal options may be. Typically, dog owners are the ones who are held liable when their dog bites someone else. In New York, a dog owner is responsible if they neglected to use reasonable care to warn about their dog’s dangerous potential or to protect others from harm. This is known as the one bite law where owners who have had their pet act aggressively in the past must use reasonable care to warn others about the dangers their dog may cause.