These days, people treat in an emergency room approximately 800,000 times per year because of dog bites and injuries related. Many of the dog bites involve children. There is a strict liability law in Connecticut that holds a dog’s owner or keeper liable for any damage caused by their dog to a person’s body or property. Unless the damage was caused by a person committing a trespass or other tort, teasing, abusing, or tormenting the dog, liability is clearly and strictly put on the dog owner or keeper. Further, if a child under the age of seven was injured, it is presumed, because of his or her age, that they were not committing a trespass or teasing the dog.
If you have been bitten by a dog, it is important that you seek medical treatment immediately. Further, if you are unsure as to the health or vaccination history of the dog, it is even more important to seek medical treatment because if the dog has not been vaccinated for rabies, you will need to begin painful and costly rabies treatment. It is also important that you file a report with the appropriate dog control officials in the town where you are bitten to confirm the dog’s vaccination history and report the incident.
We at the Bacharach Law Firm have handled many dog bite claims for our clients over the years. We have a working relationship with Hartford area plastic surgeons that evaluate our clients’ injuries and provide recommendations as to surgery and/or laser treatments to eliminate the scarring that may occur from a dog bite. Even if an injury does not require surgery, there may still be puncture wounds that leave permanent scarring or which may involve tendon and muscle injuries.
