More and more businesses are allowing customers to bring their dogs along with them as they shop or eat. Asheville is a dog-friendly place, but misunderstandings and bites can still happen. Victims will need the best medical care available to avoid long-term consequences. They’ll also need the money to pay for that care.
Dog owners can be held liable when their dogs bite in many circumstances. Stores that allow pets inside might also bear responsibility for not protecting visitors.
New Places Where People Can Get Bitten by a Dog in WNC
With changes in laws and the attitudes of business owners, many places now welcome pups inside and outside. With the rise of support animals, Asheville residents may run into dogs anywhere. On an aisle, in a restaurant, or perhaps on a plane. Some businesses even feature a work pet.
Dog owners love the companionship, but they are still responsible for restraining animals and preventing encounters that can lead to painful bites.
Some locations actively welcome pets, and some just look the other way. Here are some places where you may run into a dog around Asheville:
- Grocery Stores like Ingles, Food Lion, and Whole Foods
- Walmart and Target
- Pet Stores like Petco and PetSmart
- WNC Farmers Market
- Home Improvement Stores
- Hotels
- Business Offices
- Coffee Shops
- Restaurants
- Fairgrounds
- Dog Parks that are also Restaurants or Bars
A bite from a dog in a cart, or on a leash, can shock you and leave you in intense pain. You can suffer a broken bone, perhaps a permanent disfigurement. These are devastating wounds, and victims need to be fully supported no matter the circumstances or the locations where they happened.
Who Is Responsible If I’m Bitten by a Dog at an NC Business?
One of the benefits of having a skilled Asheville Dog Bite Lawyer handling your case is that your attorney will be identifying every party that might be forced to give you recovery support.
This means you have the chance to secure support from multiple parties and multiple insurance companies. It gives you a greater possibility to be able to pay off all of your medical bills and other damages without using your own savings.
These are some of the parties that might be fully liable for a dog bite:
Dog Owner Liability: In North Carolina, the law favors dog bite victims when a dog that has a history of biting or is considered a dangerous dog attacks. A dog owner with a dog that has a previous record would usually be automatically liable for the victim’s bite under “strict liability.” Strict liability generally means victims don’t have to offer a lot of proof to hold an owner liable.
They must simply prove the bite occurred and that the person owns the dog. A dog owner who brings a dog into a business knowing it has a biting history would usually be responsible for helping victims pay for medical care.
However, when it’s the dog’s first time biting, strict liability doesn’t apply. The case would be handled like a normal personal injury case. This means the victim must prove the dog owner’s negligence led to the bite. A skilled Asheville dog bite attorney could help you prove that a dog owner allowed a dog to get too close to you, perhaps by letting out too much leash. An owner may have even allowed a dog to roam free on a restaurant patio, allowing you to be hurt.
Your lawyer would be filing claims with the dog owner’s homeowners insurance or renter coverage.
Business Dog Bite Liability:
When businesses welcome in dogs, they can also welcome in personal injury liability. The dog owner might be liable, but the owner or operator may also have to contribute to recovery funds.
A business owner who had gotten complaints about a dog owner and an aggressive dog before could definitely be liable for a bite after not removing a customer and pet.
A business that takes control of a pet to perform services like grooming could be liable if a dog gets free.
These are just a few of the parties that might bear accountability for your injury hardships:
- The business owner
- The business operator
- The property owner
- The management company over a mall or an event venue
- The City of Asheville
- A retail chain and corporate owners
What Can I Ask Dog Owners and Business Owners for in a Dog Bite Settlement?
A skilled lawyer would seek compensation from as many parties as possible.
That would mean demanding support for all of your medical bills, and the cost of care for medical treatment that might be needed in the future.
You should also earn support for the pain that you endure with a bite. That might need to extend to the chronic pain that dog bite victims can end up with.
The support should consider the emotional trauma a dog attack will cause. That might mean the depression that develops when a victim can’t enjoy their favorite activities due to a severe bite wound. PTSD symptoms can also have victims replaying a scary dog encounter over and over in their heads. Patients may need expensive counseling to be able to cope.
The purely financial toll a dog bite causes while the victim can’t go to work should also boost a dog bite settlement. Victims shouldn’t feel pressure to return to work while they have an injury that makes their job duties excruciating to perform.
Contact an Asheville Dog Bite Attorney
Your Melrose Law lawyer will fully investigate your accident and help you force an insurance company to provide what is needed for a complete recovery. We can help you hold dog owners and property owners fully liable.
If you or a loved one suffers a serious dog bite injury in Asheville, Waynesville, or anywhere in Western North Carolina, please give us a call for a free case evaluation. This call is “no strings attached,” and there is no obligation to hire us if you decide to give our office a call.
There’s also no stress about paying an Asheville Dog Bite Lawyer if you decide you need one. Melrose Law doesn’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement check that a dog owner’s insurer must send you.
