Dog Attacks

Welcome to The Rodgers Law Firm

The daily lives of accident victims and their family and friends are changed dramatically when someone is seriously injured in a dog attack, especially when the dog bites are to the face, neck, or hands.
We at the Rodgers Law Firm in Fort Worth, Texas understand the pain and losses caused by this type of calamity.
Victims may be unable to work due to injury, may have no health insurance or large savings to pay for medical care, and may not have the energy or know how to deal with the insurance company for the wrongdoer.

That's why we are here – to do everything we can to help our clients get the answers, the assistance, and the compensation that they are entitled to under the law.

We handle dog attack cases throughout the DFW Metroplex and surrounding cities, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Denton, Burleson, Cleburne, Decatur, Weatherford, Haltom City, North Richland Hills, Richland Hills, Azle, Mineral Wells, Sherman, and Denison.
If you or someone close to you have been injured by a dog owner’s carelessness, contact us for a free, no obligation consultation.

We will meet with you at our office or any location convenient to you.
In a free, no obligation consultation with us you may evaluate our capabilities to help you and other family members work through the legal, economic and emotional hurdles faced when a serious injury is suffered on the job.

The following pages of detailed legal information will give you insights into the depth of our technical capabilities in dog attack cases.

Example of Actual Dog Attack Case Handled By This Law Firm

Our client, a six year old child, was bitten on the face by a neighbor’s dog running loose in the owner’s front yard. The dog was known to be aggressive with passersby. The dog was not kept penned as required by a local city ordinance.

Our investigator’s interviews of nearby residents revealed that several local residents had complained repeatedly to the dog’s owner about the dog’s aggressiveness before our client was bitten. Affidavits were obtained from these neighbors and given to the dog owner’s insurance company as proof that the dog owner was strictly liable for the attack because he knew of the dog’s propensity to attack passersby and, because of the local ordinance, was required to keep the dog penned or inside the house.

The case was settled prior to filing a lawsuit but, because the child was under the age of 18, a “friendly” lawsuit had to be filed and court approval obtained approving the amount of the settlement and approving where the minor’s funds were to be invested until the child turned 18.

The gross amount of the settlement was approximately 15 times the amount of the child’s medical bills, and there was no permanent facial scarring from the dog bite. (JG60)
Overview of Dog Attack Cases in Texas
Dog Bite Injury Statistics
Dogs make great pets, and many people think of their pets as part of the family. But dogs can also bite, and dog bites can cause serious injury and even death. In 1994, an estimated 4.7 million persons in the United States were bitten by dogs. Of these, roughly 800,000 persons sought medical care for the bite. Over half (420,000) of those getting medical care were children. Ten to twenty people die every year as a result of dog bites.
There are many reasons why a dog may bite. Dogs may bite due to fear, to protect their territory, or to establish their dominance over the person being bitten. Some dog owners mistakenly teach their dogs that biting is an acceptable form of play behavior.
More than half of the fatalities in a recent year were from bites inflicted by Pit Bulls and Rottweilers. Though these two breeds appear to be more likely to bite, it is important to note that at least 23 other breeds also fatally bit humans. More than 50% of dog bites involve children. Some of the more dangerous dog breeds include:
Pit Bulls
Rotweillers
Doberman Pinschers
Huskies
German Shepherds
Chows
The medical cost associated with dog bites can be great, but the emotional cost can be even greater. Victims of a serious dog bite injury often become afraid to go for walks or ride their bikes for fear of another attack. Dog bites inflict both emotional and physical harm to victims.
Texas Law Relating to Dog Bites
Texas provides three common law causes of action for individuals who have been injured by a dog:
1. under a strict liability theory: based upon the owner's knowledge of vicious characteristics of the dog and which are abnormal to the characteristics of its breed.
2. for negligence: in failing to prevent a known tendency to harm under certain circumstances. The owner of a dog that possesses only those dangerous propensities that are normal to the dog’s breed is required to know its normal habits and tendencies. The owner is required to realize that even ordinarily gentle dogs are likely to be dangerous under particular circumstances and to exercise reasonable care to prevent foreseeable harm when those circumstances arise. Thus the owner of an ordinarily gentle female dog is required (1) to know that while caring for her puppies she is likely to attack other animals and human beings, and (2) then take reasonable steps, while the female is mothering her puppies, to prevent harm to others.
3. victims injured on someone else’s property: may sue a property owner or occupier under a premises liability theory. A landlord has the duty to keep the common areas of his property reasonably safe, including protecting tenants from known vicious dogs.
The victim asserting a negligence theory must show that the dog owner breached the standard of reasonable care - what a reasonable prudent person would or would not have done under the same or similar circumstances regarding any reasonably foreseeable risk. The owner of a dog is not liable for injuries caused by the dog in a place where it has a right to be, such as inside the dog owner’s house, unless the owner knew or should have known of the vicious or unruly nature of the dog.
Losing the Right to Make the Claim

You must file your Texas dog bite suit within a certain time period or else you will lose your right to pursue your claim. In many such cases, the suit must be filed within two years from the date of the injury.

Simply contacting the person or business responsible for the attack or contacting their insurance company about the attack is not enough to stop the running of the two year period.
There are other reasons to act quickly. Key witnesses may disappear, witnesses’ memories may fade, and vital documents may be lost. It is crucially important that you do not delay in consulting with an attorney.

Contact us for a free no-obligation consultation as soon as possible to ensure that you retain your right to pursue your claim.
Contact Us for a Second Opinion If Another Attorney Has Declined To Represent You
Attorneys regularly decide whether the case that they are reviewing does or does not meet all the requirements to be a viable, sound case. Making this determination is not an exact science. Based on different experiences and analytic abilities, one attorney may turn down the opportunity to represent a client and another attorney may shortly thereafter decide to take the case.

The second reviewing attorney saw something the first reviewing attorney may have overlooked. The first attorney may have decided that liability was not clear, that you were not the type of relative that would be entitled to make a wrongful death claim, that there was not available insurance coverage or other sources to pay the money damages, or that there were other problems in seeking a recovery.

We would welcome the opportunity to review your dog attack case even if another attorney has turned the case down. There is no charge or obligation for our review.
You may contact us at the following phone numbers at any time:

Office: toll free: 1-866-560-1075

local: 817-717-4080
Copyright 1994 - 2007 Clifford B. Rodgers.

Last Modified July 6, 2007.