Esther Marshall
Legal
Dangerous Dogs and Claim for injuries
Recently there has been a lot of press about dangerous dogs, following the government’s recent announcement that they will be adding the XL bully to the banned dogs list.
If you or anyone you know has been attacked by a dog, you may be able to make a claim for compensation.
You potentially may be able to bring a claim against a dog owner if you are injured by their dog which in a public place or their home. Ideally, if that person has insurance the claim can be bought against the insurance policy. In order to bring such a claim, you would usually have to show that the owner was aware of the dog’s aggressive nature and that this was not just a one off.
If you suffered injury from a dog whilst working, you may be able pursue your employer, in some cases it can be easier to bring a claim against an employer as it may be easier to show fault and there is more chance they will be insured or have sufficient funds to pay out any claim.
Holly Minney, Head of Dispute Resolution, said:
“Suffering any form of injury can be traumatic, but dog bites can have last effects on the injured person whether that be psychically or psychologically. It is therefore important to ensure that you seek proper medical treatment to allow you to recover from the injury. As part of the claims process we will have you assessed by specialist doctors who will recommend what treatment is needed.”