Dog Bite Lawyers in Ottawa Explain Rights of Dog Attack Victims: by: Marc-Nicholas Quinn, Ottawa Injury Lawyer

Ottawa dog bite lawyer - Rights of victims of dog bites and dog attacks: by Marc-Nicholas Quinn, Ottawa accident and injury lawyer

Dog attacks occur every day and each year thousands of people are seriously injured by a dog bite or attack. In many cases, dog bite claims are advanced to recover damages for pain and suffering, mental suffering, loss of income, medical expenses and other out of pocket expenses.

The laws applying to dogs and their owners in Ontario are found in the Ontario Dog Owners Liability Act and local by-laws. Cases have interpreted the Dog Owners Liability Act to impose strict liability tort principles on owners of dogs, meaning essentially that if a dog injures someone, the owner is presumed liable.

In a dog attack case, the burden of liability is different than in other tort claims. Once the victim identifies the dog that bit or attacked them, then proves the injuries, the dog owner is liable to pay damages. The amount of damages is then assessed.

What does strict liability mean? It means that the owner is liable for any attack or bite regardless of whether or not the owner knew the dog was dangerous. The dog owner can claim contributory negligence on the part of the person who was injured by the dog. If the dog was provoked, this can also be used as part of claiming contributory negligence.

In most cases, dog bite lawsuits are settled by insurance companies out of court. Most home owner’s liability insurance policies cover claims by dog attacks.

Dog owner liability is a complicated area of law. It is highly recommended that you retain an experienced personal injury lawyer who has handled dog bite and attack cases to represent your interests.

As personal injury lawyers, we work on a contingency basis. That means that we do not charge you unless we obtain a settlement for you. If you recover nothing, then you owe us nothing.

Call us today for a free consultation at 613-315-4878 or 613-563-1131. Marc-Nicholas Quinn, Ottawa dog bite lawyer. www.ottawapersonalinjurylawyernetwork.com.


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