If a dog in Lynn, Massachusetts bit or injured you, you may be owed compensation for your injuries.
The experienced team at Spada Law Group can help you recover money to pay for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and other costs from this traumatic injury.
If you have questions about whether you have a case or how a dog bite or injury claim works in Massachusetts, call our office to set up a free consultation with one of our lawyers. Our dog bite and injury attorneys can let you know whether you have a case and what we can do to help you. Call for a free consultation today: (617) 889-5000.
What to Do if You Were Bit or Injured by a Dog in Lynn, Massachusetts
If you or your child were bit, scratched, or injured by a dog, you need medical attention immediately. Getting medical care the same day as the injury will help reduce the risk of infection from a dog bite. Medical treatment is also imperative to make sure you can get treatment for any possible rabies exposure from a dog, as rabies is deadly if not treated immediately. You can get rabies by either a bite or even a scratch by a rabid animal. If treated immediately, there is a vaccine that can stop the disease from developing. Once the disease develops, there is no treatment.
The Boston Children’s Hospital reports that most dog bite injuries happen to children. One reason for this is that children may approach an unfamiliar dog, play aggressively with a dog, or disturb a dog that is sleeping or eating. One way to prevent this is to teach your kids how to interact with familiar and unfamiliar dogs.
What to do if Your Child is Bit or Injured by a Dog in Lynn, Massachusetts
First, separate your child from the dog and put the dog in another area where they are 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 as soon as possible.
How to Report a Dog Bite in Lynn
After getting the necessary medical care, you should also report the incident to the Lynn Animal Control Officer. You can report injuries by domestic or wild dogs.
Ways to report the incident:
- Call the Lynn Animal Control Officer: (781) 477-4385
- Call Lynn Police: (781) 595-2000
- After hours, email Animal Control: [email protected]
Who is Responsible for Your Dog Bite Injuries in Lynn?
The dog’s owner is responsible for any harm a dog causes if it bites or injures you or your child.
Massachusetts has one of the strictest dog bite and dog injury laws in the nation, especially if a child is bit or injured. The law is clear that if a dog harms a person or even a person’s property, the dog’s owner is responsible for the harm and damage the dog caused. Dog injuries can range from aggressive bite wounds to being knocked over by a dog and getting injured from a hard fall.
The dog’s owner is liable for any harm the dog causes, even if it is the first time the dog has ever hurt anyone. Massachusetts statute is a strict liability law, meaning the dog owner is responsible even if the owner acted responsibly.
The only exception to the dog owner’s liability for your injury is if you were trespassing on someone else’s property or teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog at the time of the injury. If this exception applies, then the injured person may be partially at fault for their injury. An injured person might still have a case, however, as long as the dog was more than 50% responsible.
This exception does NOT apply to children under 7 years old. Young children are never held responsible for their behavior toward a dog, and it’s always the owner’s responsibility to protect their dog around children.
If I Sue The Dog’s Owner, Will I Hurt Them Financially?
Usually, suing a dog’s owner does NOT harm their personal finances. Many people do not realize this, so they don’t pursue an injury claim if a dog injures them at a friend’s, family member’s, or neighbor’s home.
The dog owner’s homeowner’s liability or renter’s insurance typically covers the costs of your injuries. The insurance policy will compensate you for your medical care. Even if you are hurt by a neighbor, friend, or family member’s dog, a lawsuit for injuries will not require the dog owner to pay out of pocket. Their insurance company will provide coverage for your damages. For example, we’ve previously pursued claims against a victim's sibling for dog injuries.
As injury attorneys, we will negotiate with the insurance companies on your behalf to try to get a fair settlement to compensate you for your injuries. Most of the time, the cases settle, and we don’t need to file a lawsuit. However, if the insurance company does not offer a reasonable settlement, we can take the claim to court.
In Massachusetts, you have three years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit for a dog bite or dog injury case.
Dog Parks in Lynn, Massachusetts
While nearly 50% of all dog bites involve a dog owned by the victim’s own family, friends, or neighbors, they can also happen in public areas with unknown dogs. 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.
Barkland Ave. Dog Park
The Barkland Avenue Dog Park is the City of Lynn’s dog park off Parkland Avenue. Passes are required for entry. Lynn residents may get passes at the City Clerk’s Office. Barkland Dog Park is for Lynn Registered Dogs only and requires an updated rabies certification to get a dog park pass.
The benefits of Barkland are that the city of Lynn prohibits vicious dogs, and there are age, park pass, and vaccination requirements.
If a dog injured you at Barkland, 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.
Types of Lynn Dog Bite and Injury Cases
Dogs can cause all sorts of injuries in addition to dog bites. No matter the type of injury, you may be able to recover if a dog hurts you.
Large and small dogs are both capable of severely injuring someone. Even if a dog did not bite you, you could be knocked over or otherwise injured by a dog.
Common Dog-Caused Injuries Include:
- 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 nails, which can sometimes cause life-threatening infections.
- Head Injuries: A dog can knock someone over and cause them to trip, fall, and hit their head.
- Arm & Leg Injuries: When a dog attacks someone, they will usually use their arms and legs to protect themselves, which can lead to cuts, muscle damage, fractures, and broken bones.
- Permanent Scars or Disfigurement from a Dog Bite: Dog bites can lead to tears in skin, tissue, and muscles, which can cause serious scars and disfigurement. Facial scarring is very common and typically requires plastic surgery.
- Emotional Injuries: After a dog attack, it is common to experience fear, pain, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.
- Other Damages: Any dog injury can damage nerves, tendons, tissues, and bones.
Damages Available After a Lynn Dog Bite or Injury
Every injury is unique, but there are common types of compensation you’re entitled to after a dog bite, dog attack, or other dog-related injuries. Dog-caused injuries can require extensive medical treatment and have lasting consequences.
Economic damages include medical bills, plastic surgery, physical therapy, counseling, lost wages, and more.
Noneconomic damages 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.
How Spada Law Group’s Lynn Dog Bite and Dog Injury Attorneys Can Help
We’ve helped many people get the compensation they need to recover after a dog bite, dog attack, or other dog-related injuries. Dog injury treatments—including emergency room visits, plastic surgery, and ongoing counseling for trauma—are expensive, and you shouldn't have to pay for this care out of your own pocket. Schedule a free consultation with our attorneys if a dog injured you or your child. 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.
- We helped a man recover $350,000 after a dog bit his ear.
Injured By A Dog in Lynn, 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 be life-changing.
If you or a loved one were a victim of a dog bite or dog injury in Lynn, 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 Lynn 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. 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 Lynn dog bite or dog injury case and see how we can help you get the recovery you deserve after your situation occurs.
