Dog Bites
Millions of Americans are victims of dog bites each year. Thousands seek medical attention due to dog bites. Nationwide, the overall cost of dog bites is estimated to exceed a billion dollars each year. These numbers are increasing. To make matters worse, about half of all dog bite victims are young children.
In the state of Michigan dog owners are responsible for their dog’s actions and their home owner’s insurance is responsible for damages caused by a physical injury. As a result, about one third of all home owners’ insurance claims are for dog bite.
The Michigan Dog Bite Stature, MCL 287.351 states the following:
287.351 Person bitten by dog; liability of owner.
Sec. 1. (1) If a dog bites a person, without provocation while the person is on public property, or lawfully on private property, including the property of the owner of the dog, the owner of the dog shall be liable for any damages suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness.
(2) A person is lawfully on the private property of the owner of the dog within the meaning of this act if the person is on the owner’s property in the performance of any duty imposed upon him or her by the laws of this state or by the laws or postal regulations of the United States, or if the person is on the owner’s property as an invitee or licensee of the person lawfully in possession of the property unless said person has gained lawful entry upon the premises for the purpose of an unlawful or criminal act.
If you or a family member has suffered a serious injury as a result of a dog bite in Michigan, don’t hesitate to contact the Michigan personal injury attorneys at Luxon & Zang, P.C. We offer a free initial consultation, and charge no attorney’s fee until we recover compensation for your dog bite injuries.