East Boston, Massachusetts, has grown exponentially in recent years. Many new residents and their pets have made East Boston home. The city has many new harborside residences, new parks, and countless great areas to walk your dog by the water.
While there is a lot to love about having dogs in East Boston, the risk of having more dogs around the city also means there may be more opportunities for people to be injured by a dog.
Were you bitten or injured by a dog in East Boston, Massachusetts? You might be owed compensation for your injuries.
Dog injuries are traumatic and can require extensive medical treatment. Spada Law Group’s experienced dog bite injury lawyers can help you recover money for your medical bills, lost wages for time missed from work, pain, suffering, and other costs from this traumatic injury.
Do you have any questions about how a dog bite injury claim works in Massachusetts or whether you have a case? Call our office to set up a free consultation with one of our lawyers. Our dog bite and injury attorneys can answer your questions, let you know whether you have a case, and how we can help you.
Call for a free consultation today: (617) 889-5000.
What to Do if You Were Bitten or Injured by a Dog in East Boston, Massachusetts
You or your child must seek medical attention immediately if you were injured, scratched, or bitten by a dog. Getting medical care the same day as the injury will help reduce the risk of infection from a bite or scratch wound.
Getting medical treatment is necessary so you can be treated for any possible rabies exposure from a dog because rabies is deadly if not treated immediately. You can get rabies from a bite or even just a scratch from a rabid animal. There is a vaccine for rabies that can stop the disease from developing, but the vaccine only works to prevent the disease if you are treated immediately. Once the disease develops, there is no treatment and it is deadly.
Boston Children’s Hospital reports most dog bite injuries happen to children. One reason is that children are more likely to interact with an unfamiliar dog, play aggressively with a dog, or disturb a sleeping or eating dog. One way to prevent your child from a possible dog injury is to teach your kids how to interact with familiar and unfamiliar dogs.
What to Do if You or Your Child is Bit or Injured by a Dog
First, separate yourself or your child from the dog and put the dog in another area where it is confined and can calm down. Then, assess the injury. If the injury is more than a simple scrape, seek medical attention at the nearest urgent care or hospital. If the injury is severe, call 911 to get medical treatment immediately.
How to Report a Dog Bite in East Boston
After getting the necessary medical care, you should also report the incident to Boston’s Animal Control Office or the BPHC. You can report injuries by domestic or wild dogs.
Ways to report the incident:
- Call the Boston Animal Control at 617-635-5348
- Or call the BPHC at 617-534-5611.
Once you report the incident to Boston Animal Control or BPHA, they will try to contact the dog’s owner. One of the main things they will check is if the animal has an up-to-date rabies vaccination.
Types of East Boston Dog Bite and Injury Cases
Dogs can cause different injuries in addition to dog bites. No matter the type of injury, you may be able to recover compensation if a dog hurts you.
It’s not only big dogs you have to worry about, as small dogs can also seriously injure someone, whether a bite or other injury. Even if a dog did not bite you, you could be knocked over or otherwise injured by a big or small dog.
Common Dog-Caused Injuries in East Boston Include:
- Head Injuries: A dog can knock someone over and cause them to trip, fall, and hit their head on the ground or other objects.
- Trip and Fall: A dog can run into someone or cause them to fall — resulting in injuries such as twisted ankles, broken bones, cuts and scrapes, and more.
- Arm & Leg Injuries: When a dog attacks someone, a person will usually use their arms and legs to protect themselves, which can lead to cuts, muscle damage, fractures, and broken bones. Arm and leg injuries could also be a result of being knocked over by a dog.
- Permanent Scars or Disfigurement from a Dog Bite: Dog bites can lead to tears in skin, tissue, and muscles, which can cause severe scars and disfigurement. Facial scarring is very common and typically requires plastic surgery. We’ve also had clients who need plastic surgery to repair hands and ears.
- Infections: If you were scratched or bit by a dog, you could get an infection from their teeth or nails. Medical attention is necessary because dogs carry dangerous bacteria in their mouths and claws, which can sometimes cause life-threatening infections. This includes rabies, which is deadly if not treated immediately.
- Emotional Injuries: After a dog attack, people commonly experience fear, pain, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. Emotional trauma is a legitimate injury.
- Other Damages: Any dog injury could damage nerves, tendons, tissues, and bones.
Who is Responsible for Your Dog Bite Injuries in East Boston?
A dog’s owner is responsible for any harm the dog causes. The owner is legally liable if a dog bites or otherwise injures you.
Massachusetts has one of the country's strictest dog bite and injury laws, especially if a child is bit or injured. The law clearly states if a dog hurts a person or even harms a person’s property, the dog’s owner is responsible for the harm and damage the dog caused. Dog injuries can range from being knocked over by a dog and getting injured from a hard fall to aggressive bite wounds.
A dog’s owner is liable for any harm their dog causes, even if it is the very first time their dog has ever hurt someone. Massachusetts’ dog bite statute is a strict liability law, meaning the dog owner is responsible no matter what — even if the owner acted responsibly and even if they tried to prevent any injury.
The only possible exceptions to the dog owner’s liability for your injury are if you trespassed on someone else’s property or if you teased, tormented, or abused the dog at the time of the injury. If one of these exceptions applies, then the injured person may be partially at fault for their injury. However, it does not mean an injured person doesn’t have a case. Someone might still have an injury case if the dog was more than 50% responsible for the accident.
This exception does NOT apply to children who are under seven years old. Young children are never held responsible for their behavior toward a dog in Massachusetts. It is always the owner’s responsibility to control their dog around children.
Damages Available After an East Boston Dog Bite or Injury
Injuries caused by a dog can require extensive medical treatment. Dog-related injuries often have lasting consequences. Every injury is unique, but there are common types of compensation you are entitled to after a dog bite, dog attack, or other dog-related injuries. The law states you are entitled to economic and noneconomic damages.
Economic damages include medical bills, plastic surgery, physical therapy, counseling, lost wages, and more. Economic damages, also known as monetary damages, refer to the many financial costs of your injury.
Noneconomic damages are not cost-related and include pain and suffering, permanent scarring and disfigurement, development of a mental health disorder (anxiety, post-traumatic stress, severe fear of dogs), loss of quality of life, social anxiety, and more.
If I Sue The Dog’s Owner for My Injury, Will I Hurt Them Financially?
Suing a dog owner for a dog-caused injury usually does NOT harm their personal finances.
Many people worry about pursuing an injury claim if a dog injures them at a friend’s, family member’s, or neighbor’s home because they are concerned about the cost they’ll impose on someone else. The truth is that an insurance company, not the individual, will pay for the injuries. We’ve even helped a client bring a claim against a sibling for damages caused by a dog. The sibling’s home insurance policy paid for the claim.
The dog owner’s homeowners liability or renter’s insurance typically covers the costs of your dog-related injuries. The insurance policy will compensate you for your medical care, not the dog’s owner. If you are hurt by a neighbor, friend, or family member’s dog, a lawsuit for injuries usually will not require the dog owner to pay out of pocket. Their insurance company will provide coverage for your injuries and damages.
One of our jobs at Spada Law when you hire us is negotiating with the insurance companies on your behalf to get a fair settlement to compensate you for your dog-related injuries. Most of the time, the cases settle, so we don’t need to file a lawsuit or go to court. If the insurance company does not offer a reasonable settlement, however, we can take the claim to court for you.
Be aware there is a time limit when pursuing your East Boston dog bite injury claim. You have three years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit for a dog bite or dog injury case in Massachusetts. This means you need to contact an attorney about your injuries much sooner than this three-year deadline so that the attorney can investigate your case and attempt to reach a favorable settlement with the insurance company before being required to file a lawsuit.
Dog-Friendly Spots in East Boston, Massachusetts
Most dogs will never bite or attack a human, but under certain circumstances, any dog can harm a human, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Nearly 50% of all dog bites involve a dog owned by the victim’s family, friends, or neighbors, but bites can also happen in public areas with unknown dogs.
Great Dog Walk Locations in East Boston
- Shoreline walk locations:
- Jeffries Point
- Carlton’s Wharf
- Clippership Wharf
- LoPresti Park
- Bremen Street Community Park
- East Boston Memorial Park
- Massport Harborwalk Park
- Chelsea Creek
Dog Parks in East Boston
- Bremen Street Dog Park
- An off-leash dog park at the intersection of Bremen Street and Porter Street.
- Dog Park at The Track
- A fenced-in dog park at Suffolk Downs is open from dawn to dusk daily for dogs to play and exercise off-leash.
Dog-Friendly Restaurants In & Near East Boston
- Pier 6 Boston Waterfront: Located at 1 8th St. Pier 6 in Charlestown.
- State Street Provisions: Located at 255 State St. at Long Wharf in Boston.
- Yankee Lobster: Located at 300 Northern Ave. in Boston.
- Zuzu Momo: Located at 291 Main St. in Everett.
- Valsos Table & Bar: Located at 139 Shirley Ave. in Revere.
- Eagle Hill Cafe: Located at 65 Meridian St. in East Boston.
- James Hook & Company: Located at 440 Atlantic Ave. in Boston.
- Barking Crab: Located at 88 Sleeper St. in Boston.
- Toro: Located at 1704 Washington St. in Boston.
- Tia’s Waterfront: Located at 200 Atlantic Ave. Fl 1 in Boston.
If a dog injured you at a dog park or any dog-friendly area in East Boston, get medical attention, report the incident, and then call our office for a free consultation to learn about your rights and options: (617) 889-5000.
How Spada Law Group’s East Boston Dog Bite and Dog Injury Attorneys Can Help
We’ve helped many people get the compensation they need to heal and recover after a dog bite, attack, or other dog-related injuries. Dog injury treatments—including emergency room visits, plastic surgery, and ongoing counseling for trauma—are expensive, and you should not have to pay for this care out of your pocket.
Schedule a free consultation with our attorneys if a dog injured you, or your child, to learn how we can help. See some of our dog-injury case results here.
- Learn how Spada Law helped a woman recover a $100,000 settlement after being attacked by a dog in her neighborhood while walking her dog.
- Learn how we helped a man recover $350,000 after a dog bit his ear.
Injured By A Dog in East Boston, Massachusetts? Reach Out for a FREE Consultation With a Dog Bite and Dog Injury Lawyer
Dog bite and dog injury cases can be severe. Injuries from a dog bite can easily be life-changing.
If you or a loved one were a victim of a dog bite or dog injury in East Boston, Massachusetts you have rights and may be able to get compensation for your medical bills, time lost from work, pain and suffering, and more. Our East Boston dog bite attorneys are here to guide you every step of the way.
Over the last three decades, we’ve helped thousands of people in Massachusetts get the recovery they need after a dog attack injury. Recently, Boston Magazine named Attorney Spada one of Boston’s Top Personal Injury Lawyers. As personal injury lawyers, you never pay us a penny until we win your case (and you don’t owe us anything if we don’t win). We’re here and ready to help.
We have three offices but proudly serve the entire state with the ability to meet with you remotely from the comfort of your own home. Contact us for a free consultation so we can learn more about your East Boston dog bite or dog injury case and see how we can help you get the recovery you deserve.
