Dog Bites and Animal Attacks

Dog bites are a serious problem. Every 75 seconds in the US, a person is bitten 1. These type of injuries send nearly 368,000 victims to hospital emergency departments per year (1,008 per day) 2. Most of bites are caused by the negligence of a pet owner or the pet owner’s failure to comply with the law.

Texas’s dog bite law is known as Lillian’s Law (House Bill 1335, 2007). Under Lillian's Law, the owner of a dog that causes injury or death can be prosecuted if the owner is found to be "criminally negligent" in failing to prevent the dog from escaping. The third-degree felony charge can bring a sentence of 2 to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If the victim dies, a dog owner can be charged with a second-degree felony, which could bring up to 20 years in prison.

Dog bites bring not only high medical costs but also emotional costs. Seeking professional legal help is the best thing to do once the accident has happened. The Sibrian Law Firm will assist you and give you legal support.

Mordidas de Perro

Cada 75 segundos, una persona es mordida en los Estados Unidos. Las mordidas de perro, usualmente, son causadas por la negligencia del dueño.

La ley de Texas, con respecto a las mordidas de perro, es conocida como la ley de Lillian. Bajo la ley de Lillian, el dueño del perro puede tener cargos criminales si el perro escapó y causó daños.

Las mordidas de perro causan no sólo gastos médicos, sino también problemas emocionales. Buscar ayuda legal es la mejor solución. La oficina Sibrian lo ayudará brindándole servicios legales.

Sources:

1Nonfatal Dog Bite-Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments - United States, 2001, by J Gilchrist, MD, Div of Unintentional Injury Prevention; K Gotsch, MPH, JL Annest, PhD, G Ryan, PhD, Office of Statistics and Programming, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC.

2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nonfatal Dog Bite–Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments — United States, 2001, MMWR 2003;52:605-610. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report is published by the CDC.