Making a dog bite claim is simple when you use specialist solicitors.
We have a team of lawyers who are experienced in making dog bite claims, representing people from all over the country.
They are proud of their track record of success and the compensation they have recovered on behalf of the victims of dog attacks in the UK.
The team recently dealt with a claim for a lady who had been bitten by a dog while she was employed as a dog walker. She had only been in the job for a short time when she was bitten by one of the dogs she was exercising for her employer.
She initially tried making a dog bite claim herself against the company that employed her. However her employer’s strenuously denied liability, saying that they had not breached their legal duties. They argued that as she had been given adequate training there was nothing more they could reasonably have done to protect her.
After struggling with the case for a long time and getting nowhere, she eventually got in touch with us as she had seen that we specialise in making a dog bite claims. She contacted our helpline for a free case assessment, though by the time she spoke to us almost three years had passed since she had been bitten. Urgent action therefore needed to be taken as claims must be commenced in court within three years of injury being suffered.
Despite the fact that time was short, we felt that the claim was winnable. We therefore agreed to take it on and to work on a No Win, No Fee basis.
We reviewed the case papers and concluded that the best way forward was to bring a claim against the dog owner, using a piece of legislation called the Animals Act. This Act imposes strict legal duties upon the owners of animals and is a much better alternative to trying to prove that an employer has breached its duty of care.
We therefore sent a letter of claim to the dog owner. Her insurers also denied liability, so we issued court proceedings which prevented the claim from becoming time barred.
At the same time we arranged for our client to be examined by medical experts – a plastic surgeon and a psychologist – who prepared reports about the injuries she had sustained as a result of the dog bite at work.
Ultimately our persistence paid off and the owner’s insurance company made an offer of compensation to settle the case. Although the initial offer wasn’t enough in our estimation, after a period of negotiation we persuaded the insurers to increase their offer to a an acceptable level and an out of court settlement was agreed.
If you are thinking about making a dog bite claim and are looking for experienced solicitors with a first class track record then contact us for a free case assessment on freephone 0808 139 1601. Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected]
