Aiken Dog Bite & Animal Attack Lawyer

A dog bite or animal attack can leave you in need of legal help to recover compensation for your injury.

Injuries from a dog bite can wind up costing you more than you think. If you or a loved one has sustained serious injuries from a dog bite, a run-in with an ornery horse, or any other pet attack, call George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers today.

Our dog bite and animal attack lawyers serving Aiken, South Carolina, represent the residents and visitors of Aiken, SC, by helping them seek compensation for the injury from a dog bite or animal attack.

George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers: A Firm Committed to You

The most typical animal-related injuries that our clients have sustained are dog bites. Although, in Aiken, it’s not uncommon for a horse-related injury to occur.

We are proud of the outcomes our personal injury lawyers have achieved for our former clients, but our past successes do not guarantee that a future case will turn out the same way. Every animal-related matter we handle presents a unique set of facts and circumstances that our legal team has the skill and know-how to investigate.

Aiken Dog Bite & Animal Attack Lawyer Near Me(888) 612-7001

South Carolina State Statutes and Local Laws

In South Carolina, state statutes and local ordinances hold that pet owners are responsible for protecting others from any pet-related injury. Local Aiken ordinances require dog owners to leash or kennel their dogs whenever they’re off-property, and bar most equestrians from grazing their horses on public property.

Still, laws cannot prevent animals from causing injury, which is why South Carolina law also gives to victims of dog bites and animal attacks the ability to seek compensation for animal-related injury. And a dog bite and animal attack attorney in Aiken can help make it happen.

Legal Liability in South Carolina’s Dog Bite Law

South Carolina’s dog bite law, S.C. Code § 47-3-110, imposes legal liability on any “dog owner or person having [a] dog in the person’s care or keeping” for “the damages suffered by [a] person bitten or otherwise attacked” by the dog, unless:

• The victim sustained the dog bite while trespassing on the owner’s property.
• The victim “provoked or harassed the dog and that provocation was the proximate cause of the attack.”
• The victim was bitten by a police dog acting on the lawful command of a law enforcement official.

Dog owners may also face criminal prosecution for failing to prevent an animal-related injury under certain circumstances.

Non-Dog Animal Attacks: A Case of Owner Negligence and “Premises Liability”

Outside of dog bites, South Carolina law treats liability for an injury caused by a domesticated animal as a matter of “premises liability” or owner negligence.

An attack by a pet other than a dog that occurs on the property of anyone other than the victim may place liability on the property owner, depending on the victim’s legal status as a visitor to that property. A dog bite and animal attack lawyer serving Aiken, SC, can help a victim in this manner determine the degree of potential legal liability the property owner may have.

Pet owners also have obligations under South Carolina law not to tend to their animals in a way that would reasonably be expected to result in injury to someone. In other words, pet owners are expected to not be “negligent” when it comes to handling their domesticated animal.

If, for example, an equestrian knows her horse has a tendency to buck and throw any rider other than its owner, the horse owner may have legal liability for the injuries someone she allows to ride her horse sustains if she fails to warn that rider of the danger.

Your Dog Bite and Animal Attack Lawyer and Free Case Review

Anyone injured by a dog bite or animal attack should, as a priority, seek immediate medical care. Under Aiken town ordinances, anyone who witnesses an animal bite a person and break the skin must also report the incident to animal control authorities.

Never treat an injury caused by an animal lightly, especially if the animal breaks the victim’s skin with its teeth, as dangerous, life-threatening infections can result from improper care. If you lost a loved one to a dog bite or animal attack, you may be entitled to compensation and can pursue this through a wrongful death claim.

If you live or work in and around the Aiken, South Carolina area and have sustained an injury caused by a dog bite or other domesticated animal, George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers may be able to help you recover the compensation you deserve.

Contact us by phone or online to schedule a free consultation with a dog bite and animal attack lawyer in Aiken, SC. We have offices around South Carolina and in Augusta, Georgia, but can also meet with you at your home or at the hospital.