Bennettsville Dog Bite and Animal Attack Lawyer

Our Bennettsville dog bite and animal attack attorneys can help victims suffering from injuries.

If someone else’s pet in the Bennettsville, South Carolina, area injures you or your family member, call George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers. Our dog bite and animal attack lawyers in Bennettsville, SC, help Pee Dee-region victims of pet attacks recover compensation for their injuries.

About George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers

George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers is a primarily South Carolina-based personal injury law firm. We represent South Carolinians who have fallen victim to unexpected injuries that they should not have to pay for. The matters we handle include domestic animal attacks such as dog bites and maulings.

Our past results speak to the determination we bring to every representation (although, of course, we can never guarantee the successful outcome of any case, because each one is different).

Bennettsville Dog Bite and Animal Attack Lawyer Near Me(888) 612-7001

Information Surrounding South Carolina Dog Bite & Animal Attack Law

In South Carolina, state laws and local ordinances protect the public from aggressive and dangerous pets. Marlboro County’s animal control ordinance, for example, prohibits dog owners from allowing their dogs off-leash in public places.

It also requires any dog that has ever bitten and broken the skin of a person to be kept “in a secure enclosure or [to] be accompanied by a person who, by means of a leash, has the dog firmly under control at all times.”

These laws reduce the risk of pet attacks, but they don’t eliminate them. When a dog bite or other pet attack injures someone in Bennettsville, state law authorizes the victim to take legal action for damages.

Dog Bites and the “Strict Liability” Tied to It

Because dog bites and maulings constitute the bulk of pet attacks, S.C. Code § 47-3-110 subjects any “dog owner or person having [a] dog in the person’s care or keeping” to strict liability for “the damages suffered by [a] person bitten or otherwise attacked” by the dog, except in three specific circumstances:

• When the attack happened to a victim who was trespassing on the owner’s property;
• When the victim “provoked or harassed the dog and that provocation was the proximate cause of the attack”; or
• When a police dog committed the attack while acting on the lawful command of its police handler.

Dog owners and anyone else having a dog in their care in Bennettsville may also risk criminal sanctions by failing to comply with state and local dog laws.

Non-Canine Animal Attacks: Determining Legal Liability

Attacks by pets other than dogs may also result in legal liability under South Carolina law. If an animal attacks you on someone else’s property, the law of “premises liability” may make the owner of that property liable to you for damages, depending on your legal “status” as a visitor on that property. One of our dog bite and animal attack attorneys in Bennettsville, SC, can help you determine whether a property owner has legal liability for injuries you sustained.

Separately, pet owners can also have legal liability for any harm their pets cause if they fail to take reasonable steps to prevent such situations.  For example, the owner of a cat known to be vicious may have liability for damages if the cat escapes and attacks a neighbor’s child when the owner could have done more to prevent the cat from escaping or to warn others of the danger.

Pursuing Legal Help for a Dog Bite or Animal Attack with George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers

With more and more dog bites causing hospitalizations in recent years, victims of any pet attack should be sure to seek prompt medical attention. Bites and other injuries that break the skin can run a high risk of developing dangerous, life-threatening infections.

Victims should also report the attack to animal control authorities so that they can decide whether to quarantine the animal. If you lost a loved one to a dog bite or animal attack, you may be eligible to recover a payout through a wrongful death action.

Pet attack victims may also benefit from speaking with a pet attack liability lawyer as soon as possible. George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers investigates pet attacks, engage in settlement negotiations, and (if necessary), litigate pet attack matters in Marlboro County courts.

If a pet attack in the Bennettsville, South Carolina, area leaves you or a family member injured, you may have rights to compensation. Contact us today by phone or through our online form to schedule a free consultation. A dog bite and animal attack lawyer serving Bennettsville, SC, would be glad to meet with you in any of our offices around the state (including Florence), at your home, or in the hospital.