A Grand Rapids dog bite lawyer can help if you or someone you care about was the victim of a dog attack. Our award-winning dog bite attorneys win top settlements from insurance companies in these cases. The lawyer you choose for your case is the difference between winning a great settlement and getting a small payout.
The City of Grand Rapids is in Kent County, Michigan. Grand Rapids is the city with the second highest population in Michigan, with 198,893 residents. Founded in 1826, the city sits on the Grand River on the western side of Michigan. As a historic leading furniture manufacturing city, Grand Rapids has sometimes been called “Furniture City.”
Founded in 1969, our team of lawyers at The Buckfire Law Firm has earned the legal profession’s highest accolades over the last 60 years, including:
The lawyer you choose for your Grand Rapids Dog Bite case is the difference between a great settlement and no settlement. Make the smart choice and contact our award-winning lawyers today to get started on your case.
Grand Rapids has an ordinance describing leashing:
(a.) No person shall permit or allow any domestic animal to be at large or unrestrained or to run at large within any public park or other grounds under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks and Recreation. No dog shall be permitted in any City Park or playground unless on a leash not over 8 feet long. Owners of domestic animals shall remove their animal’s fecal discharges from park property.
Kent County also has an animal behavior ordinance:
An Owner or Custodian shall not intentionally, or by failure to exercise due care, allow his/her dog or Animal to menace, attack or bite a person or other Animal in a place where the person or other Animal is legally entitled to be. “Menace” shall include, but not be limited to, charging, scratching, toppling, teeth-baring, snapping, growling, or other predatory mannerisms, directed at a person or other Animal. “Menace” shall not include behavior of a dog or Animal separated from the person or other Animal by a cage, fence or other barrier.
This law can be used to hold a dog owner accountable for a dog bite attack.
There is no ban on pit bulls, or any other dog breed in Grand Rapids. The ordinance on vicious dogs is behavior-based only so you can own a well-behaved pit bull.
In general, you can sue for a dog attack in Grand Rapids if you were attacked or bitten within the city limits. Under Michigan law, there is strict liability against the owner or keeper of the attacking dog who bites or injures an innocent person.
Strict liability means that negligence automatically attaches just from the fact that the dog bit someone. So, if a person is bitten by a dog on the street, at a park, and on private property can sue and demand money compensation for injuries.
There are a few legal defenses in dog bite lawsuits in Michigan. First, a person who is a trespasser, or unlawfully on another person’s property, may not be able to sue for a dog bite. Social guests and business invitees can pursue claims.
Second, there is a provocation defense to a dog bite. This means that someone that provokes the dog into biting them is barred from a claim. This defense is usually a disputed issue in these cases because many defendants argue that attempting to friendly hug or play with a dog is provocation. Our Grand Rapids dog bite lawyers have successfully challenged this defense and won big settlements for our clients.
Our dog bite attorneys see a wide range of injuries caused in canine attacks. The most common injuries suffered in a Grand Rapids dog bite attack include:
Victims of a dog bite or dog attack can be left with permanent scars and disfigurement. Often, dog bite victims will require emergency medical care for sutures, plastic surgery, and rabies shots. Many times, a plastic surgeon will not even attempt to repair the scar for several years after the attack, leaving the victim with a disfiguring and conspicuous scar for everyone to see.
If you were bitten by a dog in Grand Rapids, the first thing to do is get medical attention from your doctor, an urgent care clinic, or at a local emergency room. You may need stitches, a tetanus shot, or even a referral to a plastic surgeon.
You should also take photographs of the injuries immediately after the attack. This serves as strong evidence in your case to support your claims for damages.
Finally, report the attack to both the police and animal control departments.
It is best to report a dog attack to the police and to the local animal control division in the city where it occurred. This documents the injury occurred for the purposes of your claim and alerts local authorities that of a potentially vicious dog.
In the City of Grand Rapids, you can call the below departments to file your complaint.
Kent County Sheriff’s Office – Animal Control
701 Ball Avenue NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
(616) 632-7310
Our Grand Rapids dog bite lawyers will get the reports to support your claim.
If you choose us for your dog bite case, we will send a letter to the dog owner requesting the incident be referred to their insurance company. Most times, this is either homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance. If the attack occurred at a business, we would send a letter to the liability insurance company for the business.
Most often, we will receive a letter from an insurance adjuster asking for more information about the case. This is the start of the claims process and the beginning of the settlement negotiation process for your case.
Next, we will order your medical records and get the police department and animal control reports. We may also track down eyewitnesses to the attack so we can take witness statements. We will also request you frequently take photos of your wounds so we can follow the healing process.
There is no formula or “dog bite calculator” to determine your settlement amount. Under Michigan law, you are entitled to the following damages from a dog attack:
Our attorneys will work up your case to ensure you receive the maximum possible settlement to compensate you for the harm you suffered from the dog attack.
$400,000 for a woman who suffered nerve damage from a dog attack.
$300,000 for a teenage girl bitten in the face by a pit bull.
$250,000 for a toddler bitten on the face by a family member’s dog.
$100,000 for a postal worker bitten on the legs and buttocks.
Many canine attacks come from dogs owned by family members, friends, and neighbors. Victims are often reluctant to file claims against these people for fear it will affect or destroy a close relationship. It is important to know that your claim will be made against the insurance company and will not demand payment from the dog owner. As a result, relationships are rarely affected by these claims.
In addition, the insurance premiums rarely go up even after the insurance company pays the dog bite settlement. And there is no requirement that the dog be put down or given away by the family so this should not be a concern to you.
We do not charge any money to start your Grand Rapids dog bite case. We pay all the costs and only earn a fee if we win you a settlement. Our fee is a percentage of the settlement amount, so we work hard to maximize your settlement.
Call an award-winning Grand Rapids dog bite lawyer now to start your claim. Our attorneys are ready and eager to help you win a great settlement. There are time deadlines for filing cases, so call us today to make sure you do not miss the unforgiving deadline.
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