Under basic Georgia law, an individual can be held liable if their dog attacks and injures another individual. However, what if you have sustained a gruesome injury that requires medical attention? Essentially, who is responsible for paying the medical bills? Unfortunately, the answer is mainly straightforward. Normally, if you have been bitten by a vicious animal, you may personally reason with the owner of the dog to cover any medical expenses.
Though, if this individual denies handling your medical costs, what happens next? In this article, a Greenville dog bite lawyer will help you find out who is responsible for paying your medical bills if you have been attacked by a vicious animal.
You Have to File a Lawsuit
Unless you and the dog owner reach a natural agreement for the owner to pay your medical bills, it is extremely unlikely that you will reach this resolution without filing a lawsuit. The law is perfectly clear that the owner is responsible for their dog’s attack on another individual, per Georgia Code Title 51, Chapter 2, which states,
“A person who owns or keeps a vicious or dangerous animal of any kind and who, by careless management or by allowing the animal to go at liberty, causes injury to another person who does not provoke the injury by his own act may be liable in damages to the person so injured…”
If you have been injured by a dog in this state, you could successfully file a lawsuit and receive compensation, so that you can pay your medical bills. Even though this law is perfectly clear on this type of situation, you cannot count on a dog owner to automatically resolve this issue and pay your medical bills. By filing a lawsuit with the help of personal injury lawyers in Atlanta, you can ensure that you will receive fair compensation for your injury through the court.
There Is A Notable Exception
Although a dog owner is responsible for the activities of their pet, there is a clear connotation in the above statute that mentions that the dog has to be a “vicious or dangerous animal.”Under Georgia law, all animals are harmless unless proved otherwise. Therefore, if you do decide to take your case to court, you must prove that the dog that injured you was a “vicious or dangerous animal.”
The provision of the law provides security for dog owners. If you provoked a dog and received an injury as a result, you might want to forgo the option of filing a lawsuit. In fact, even if you are confronted by a dog and you act aggressively, you could be legally responsible for your own injury and medical bills.
In most cases, a dog owner is responsible for their pet. Therefore, if you sustained an injury that wasn’t provoked on your end, the owner is legally responsible for paying your medical bills. If you cannot reach this resolution on your own, you can file a lawsuit and win compensation to handle these costs. Under the same law, you may be responsible for paying your own medical bills if you carelessly provoked the animal in the first place.
For more information, speak to a dog bite lawyer today.
Bryce is considered a highly esteemed trial lawyer and a passionate client advocate amongst his peers in the Atlanta legal community. Never afraid to go the extra mile for his clients, Bryce Angell works tirelessly to ensure that each client’s personal injury case gets the attention that it deserves.