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Dog Bites

Nearly five million people annually suffer dog bites in the US, and half of those who seek attention for dog bites are children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those injured, nearly 400,000 require treatment in a hospital emergency department and more than a dozen die.

 

Children ages 5 to 9 are the most vulnerable to dog bites, and nearly two-thirds of the injuries among children 4 and younger are to the head or neck.

 

At the Law Offices Richard C. Woods, we help the victims of serious dog bites to obtain compensation for their medical costs and pain and suffering.

 

Massachusetts has some of the nation's toughest laws for the protection of dog bite victims. Whether you need financial compensation for your injuries or want to make sure other innocent victims are protected from the dog that bit you or your loved one, we are ready to help.

 

Under Massachusetts law, a dog owner or keeper is strictly liable for dog bites involving victims under the age of 7. Strict liability also applies to dog bite victims age 7 and older unless the victim was trespassing on the dog owner's property or taunting or abusing the dog.

 

Although dog attacks involving pit bull bites are the ones that often seem to reach the headlines, it does not matter what size or breed of dog is involved for a dog attack to be serious. Our firm has experience in cases of dog bites and mauling involving a variety of breeds, including Chihuahuas to pit bulls.

 

COMPENSATION FOR DOG BITE ATTACKS
The victims of dog bites and mauling have a right to seek compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Liability can be attributed to anyone whose negligence may have contributed to the attack, including a landlord or other property owner as well as the dog's owner or keeper. The goal of the insurance company or companies for those liable is to pay little or no compensation, so it helps to have a personal injury attorney experienced in fighting insurance companies on your side.

 

Unlike other serious personal injury matters, the need for financial compensation is not the only factor that motivates people to bring dog bite claims, especially when the dog is a "repeat offender." Often, an overriding goal for the victims of dog bites is to make sure it never happens again.

 

For information about our law firm's success in helping the victims of dog attacks, including attacks on children, please contact the Law Offices of Richard C. Woods.

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Phone: (781) 438-6600 - Fax: (781) 942-7034 - richard.woods@comcast.net