A four-year-old girl recently had her ear bitten off by a dog in Alloway Township, New Jersey. The Gloucester County Times reports that the girl was on the dog owner’s property at the time of the attack. The girl required 65 stitches to reattach the ear and will need surgeries in the future as a result of the attack.
Official charges against the owner were made, including owning a vicious dog and owning a potentially dangerous dog. Officials say this is not the first time charges have been brought against the dog owner. It is not known at this time if the dog owner will be forced to euthanize his dog as a result of this attack.
Dog bites can have devastating and lifelong consequences, especially for young victims. Injuries may include severe scarring (the need for surgical intervention), and, the need for psychological counseling.
Those who have been injured in dog attacks may be able to file personal injury claims against a negligent dog and/or property owner. New Jersey law requires a plaintiff (victim of an attack) to prove who owns the dog, that the dog attacked the plaintiff, and, that the plaintiff was either on public property or legally on private property at the time of the attack. Under New Jersey law, the dog owner is not automatically 100 percent liable for the dog’s actions. In some cases, the victim of the attack may be held partially responsible. This is true in cases where the victim may have, for example, provoked or abused the animal. If the victim of the attack wrongfully provoked the animal or was illegally trespassing at the time of the attack, they may be precluded from successfully bringing a claim for any injuries sustained.
It is important that one retain the services of an experienced personal injury lawyer to handle cases arising out of dog bite attack. The New Jersey dog bite lawyers at Blume Forte have a long history of successfully representing victims of these vicious attacks. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, call our offices at 973-845-4421 for a no-cost consultation.