Minnesota Dog Bite Attorney

Video: Minnesota Dog Bite Attorney and
Dog Bite Lawsuit Information

In the video below, Attorney Brendan Flaherty discusses how you can protect your rights if you have been bitten or otherwise attacked by a dog. Mr. Flaherty is lead attorney for our dog bite cases. He teaches at the University of Minnesota Law School.
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Our Minnesota dog bite attorneys have won lawsuits for numerous victims of dog attacks. Our cases have included bites to the face, arm, leg and hand. Many of our clients have been children and their families.

Compensation for a Minnesota Dog Bite Injury

If you or a loved one has been bitten by a dog, the owner and any additional responsible party should be held accountable. Your compensation may include amounts for hospital and other medical bills, future medical treatments, psychological counseling, loss of earnings, pain and suffering and disfigurement.

Let’s assume you were lawfully on the property when the attack occurred. In Minnesota, you are entitled to receive compensation if you were attacked, although the rules and circumstances for such recovery may differ depending on where you file your lawsuit. Examples include violations of leash laws, harboring a dog with dangerous propensities, failure to maintain fences and enclosures, etc.

In Minnesota, you can also recover compensation even if the dog never bit anyone before. The "one bite" rule no longer applies. This rule allowed a dog one act of aggression before its owner became responsible for any injuries.

You may also be able to recover compensation from people who don’t own the dog. For instance, a daycare center might be liable if staff allowed someone with an aggressive dog onto the property, or a landlord might be liable if he or she knew that a tenant had a dog that bites people. You may also be able to recover compensation from a PetSmart store for a dog attack.

A dog’s tendency to bite is based on factors such as its early experiences, socialization and the victim’s behavior, as well as the dog’s heredity. There are situations where the owner of the keeper of the dog has trained the dog in such a way as to make the dog particularly dangerous. If such a dog bites someone, the victim may make a claim for punitive damages, an amount meant to punish and/or deter behavior.

Dog Bite Injuries

There are 300,000 dog bites per year that require medical treatment, and most of the victims are children (60%). Unfortunately, some of the injuries can be quite severe and can include:

Rabies
Lacerations
Emotional trauma
Fractures
Head injuries.

Dog bites cause 18 deaths per year. In these cases, the family can file a wrongful death suit against the dog owner.

Steps to Take to Protect Your Rights

Everything happens so fast in these situations. Here is a list of steps you need to take to protect your rights.

Identify the dog that bit you. If the dog is not tested for rabies, you may have to have some very painful rabies shots.
Get the name, address, phone number and insurance information of the person that owns the dog. Get the dog license number if you can.
Get the name, address and phone number of any witnesses. You may have to go back to the scene of the attack and knock on some doors.
See a medical professional. Save all your records, including your insurance information. You will need them to make your claim.
Take photographs of the wounds and bloody clothes, if possible. You will need to prove that you were bitten.
Be careful as you talk to other people about your situation. Anything you say to insurance company representatives or investigators could make it harder for you to settle your claim.
Report the incident to the police. The police will investigate and make a report, which may help establish what happened.
Do not prepare any reports for insurance companies, owners or landlords. They may be looking for ways to avoid liability or reduce your claim.
Do not sign anything, particularly some kind of release form, without talking to a lawyer first.

Contact a Minnesota Dog Bite Attorney

Pritzker Olsen law firm has obtained compensation for Minnesota dog bite victims. Our Minnesota law firm has gained a national reputation, and lawyers at the firm been interviewed by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawyers USA and other publications. Attorneys Fred Pritzker, Elliot Olsen and Eric Hageman have been named Minnesota "Super Lawyers" by Minnesota Law & Politics. Attorney Brendan Flaherty has been named a "Minnesota Rising Star" in the area of personal injury litigation. In addition, Fred Pritzker has been named a "Top 40 Personal Injury Lawyer" and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

To contact a Minnesota dog bite lawyer at Pritzker Olsen about a dog bite lawsuit, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit our online consultation form for a free consultation.

For more information on dog bites, including dog bite prevention and treatment, go to the dog bite links page.

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Firm News

The Best Lawyers in America

Minnesota dog bite attorney Fred Pritzker has been notified that he will again be listed in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in personal injury and wrongful death litigation and settlement negotiations.

Top 40 Minnesota Personal Injury Lawyer

In recognition of his achievements, Fred Pritzker was selected as a "Top 40 Minnesota Super Lawyer." Law & Politics magazine performs the polling, research and selection of Super Lawyers “in a process designed to identify Minnesota lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.”

Minnesota Dog Bite Law: Punitive Damages

Our law firm has obtained punitive damages in a Minnesota dog bite case. Punitive damages are meant to punish behavior as a deterrent to future, similar behavior.

Pit Bull Bite and Pit Bull Attack

Pit bull bites and pit bull attacks can cause serious injury or death. There is usually a claim for disfigurement due to a face bite, arm bite, leg bite, etc. Pit bulls can also bite the head or neck and cause death. There have also been cases of amputation.

Rottweiler Attack and Killed by Rottweiler

Rottweilers are ranked second behind Pit Bulls for number of fatal human attacks. With a Rottweiler dog bite injury, there is almost always a claim for disfigurement because a dog bite makes jagged tears in the skin and very frequently there is loss of soft tissue. If the victim survives a bite to the face, neck, arms or legs, they are scarred physically and emotionally for life.

This is attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The result of each case is determined by the specific facts and the applicable law.

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Personal Injury and Wrongful Death