Liability for Dog Bites and Attacks in Texas
Every year more than 4.5 million Americans are bitten by dogs. We’re going to tell you everything you need to know about dog bites and the law, just in case a dog bites you or one of your loved ones.
Proving liability in dog bite cases can be extremely difficult. Don’t try and do it alone. Get the compensation you deserve and contact our Dallas dog bite lawyers today. Call our office at (972) 392-1225 or contact us online today for help.
Dog Bite Laws for the State of Texas
In the state of Texas, dog bite cases fall under personal injury law. In fact, Texas is a negligence rule state. This means that in order to receive compensation or damage recovery, the dog bite victim must…
- Show that the dog’s owner knew that their dog has acted aggressively in the past and failed to do anything about it, or
- The dog’s owner was negligent in controlling the dog or preventing the bite from occurring, and that negligence caused the plaintiff’s injuries.
In each instance, the plaintiff has to show that the dog’s owner failed to restrain or train an overly aggressive dog. This means that there isn’t a strict rule for liability, which in turn means that the dog’s owner can possibly not be held accountable for the dog bite.
Other Potentially Liable People
Dog owners aren’t the only people who can be held accountable for dog bites. Other people who can be held accountable are…
- Animal keepers – Shelters and kennels fall in the category of an animal keeper. If a person is bitten by a dog in your kennel, you could be held responsible.
- Landlords – If you’re a landlord and you know one of your tenants owned a potentially dangerous animal and another person gets bit by that animal, you can be held responsible.
- Property owners – If you allow someone to be on your property with their dog that ends up biting someone, you can be held responsible for the dog bite because it happened on your property.