CALL FOR A FREE CASE EVALUATION

412-567-9598

MORE INFO

CALL ME

412-567-9598

Dog Bites

Personalized service. Maximum results. The Law Office of Mark A. Smith looks forward to helping you obtain full compensation for your injuries.

Contact A Pittsburgh Personal Injury Attorney Today

the consultation is free

Pittsburgh Dog Bite Lawyer

Knowledgeable Personal Injury Attorney Can Help You or a Loved One Recover Financial Compensation Following a Dog Bite Injury in Pittsburgh, PA

Dogs are often considered man’s best friend. Although dogs perform important tasks in our society and make wonderful companions for our families, they are still animals who without warning or seemingly without reason or provocation lash out and attack someone, even a person the dog is familiar with. A dog bite can lead to serious injuries and complications for an injured victim, especially if the dog presses its attack or has serious underlying medical issues. 

When you or a family member have been the victim of a dog bite or dog attack in Pittsburgh, PA, you deserve to hold the dog’s owner or owners accountable to compensate you for your injuries and financial damages. You can put yourself in the best position to successfully recover compensation for your dog bite injuries with knowledgeable, skilled legal representation on your side. Contact The Law Office of Mark A. Smith today to schedule a free case evaluation with experienced personal injury attorney Mark A. Smith to learn more about your rights and options and about how Attorney Mark A. Smith can help you in your Pittsburgh dog bite case.

Injuries and Complications Suffered from Dog Bites

Dog bites can lead to serious injuries and complications, depending on factors including the relative sizes of the dog and victim and the severity and length of the dog’s attack. Dog bites should receive immediate medical treatment, as dog bites can, depending on the dog’s own health condition, result in various injuries and complications including:

  • Lacerations and scarring — A dog’s teeth can easily cut through the skin. A deep enough laceration can also lead to permanent scarring; if scarring is severe enough, it may warrant treatment through skin grafts or plastic surgery to repair damage and restore function
  • Broken bones – A large dog can have enough bite force to crush and break bones in hands, feet, and arms. In addition, the victim of a dog bite might suffer a broken bone if he or she is knocked to the ground in an attack. 
  • Muscle, soft-tissue, and nerve damage – A deep enough bite can lead to damage of underlying tissues including muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and nerves, even if the wound appears to be just a small puncture mark.
  • Bacterial and viral infection – Numerous kinds of bacteria and viruses can live in a dog’s mouth and can be transmitted to a dog bite victim when the bite is able to break the skin, including staphylococcus, pasteurella, capnocytophaga, and rabies. It is important to seek treatment and immunization for possible infections, especially when you do not know the vaccine history of the dog that bit you.

Small children are especially susceptible to serious injuries and complications from dog bites, as an attacking dog can more easily reach a small child’s face, head, and neck, and because smaller children lack the size and strength to fend off an attacking dog. For these reasons, many of the deaths arising from dog bites and attacks occur in young children.

Pittsburgh Dog Bite Lawyer at The Law Office of Mark A. Smith Will Fight to Protect Your and Your Family’s Rights and Interests

After you’ve been the victim of a dog bite or dog attack in Pittsburgh as a result of the dog’s owner’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and damages, including:

  • Past and future medical expenses
  • Lost wages for missed time from work
  • Lost earning capacity if your injuries disable you from returning to work
  • Pain and suffering
  • Lost quality of life from physical disfigurements or disabilities

Attorney Mark A. Smith is ready to vigorously advocate on your behalf to get you the results you deserve in your Pittsburgh dog bite case. You need someone who knows how to investigate dog bite cases and secure the evidence needed to demonstrate the dog owner’s negligence and establish your right to financial compensation. Attorney Mark A. Smith will aggressively negotiate with the insurance companies to make sure you are fully compensated for not only your medical treatments and any lost income from missed work, but also for your pain and suffering and lost enjoyment of life when you’ve suffered serious injuries following a dog bite.

Contact The Law Office of Mark A. Smith Today for a Case Evaluation with a Pittsburgh Dog Bite Attorney

If you or a loved one have been the victim of a dog bite or dog attack in Pittsburgh, contact The Law Office of Mark A. Smith today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal rights and options with Attorney Mark A. Smith and to learn more about how an experienced dog bite attorney can help you and your family secure the maximum financial compensation you need and deserve.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dog Bites in Pittsburgh, PA

FAQ: I was bitten by a dog owned by a friend or family member. What do I do if I don’t want to sue my family member or friend?

It is understandable that you may not want to jeopardize your relationship with your family member or your friend or neighbor with a legal claim for compensation. However, keep in mind that many dog bite claims are in fact paid out by the dog owner’s homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policy, not from the owner’s personal finances. Your friend or family member likely has insurance for this very purpose — to be able to compensate someone whom they are liable to for injuries and damages, and to protect their own finances and assets in the event they are liable to compensate someone.

FAQ: Do I need to prove that the owner of the dog that bit me was negligent?

In most cases, yes. Unlike many states, Pennsylvania is not a strict liability state when it comes to dog bites, meaning that a dog owner is not liable for injuries and damages simply because the dog bit someone; instead, an injured victim must prove that the owner’s negligence led to the dog bite. It may be possible to show a dog owner’s negligence by demonstrating that the owner was on notice of the dog’s dangerous propensities (such as the dog having previously bit someone) or by showing that the owner failed to take reasonable steps to keep the dog restrained or confined, which allowed the dog to roam and then bite someone.

$2.5

million

Verdict/

Medical Malpractice

$3.5

million

Settlement/

Products Liability

$900

thousand

Recovery/

Tractor Trailer Accident

$2.3

million

Verdict/

Brain Injury

Attorneys Standing
AAJ Super Lawyers PAJ WPTLA ATLAC