Spartanburg Dog Bite and Animal Attack Lawyer

Dog bites and pet attacks can leave lasting harm.

If someone’s domestic animal in the Spartanburg, South Carolina area assaults you or a family member, call George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers today. Our dog bite and animal attack lawyers in Spartanburg, SC, help Upstate South Carolina victims of pet attacks in seeking compensation for their injuries.

George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers and Your Dog Bite and Animal Attack Case

George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers is a South Carolina personal injury law firm with offices throughout the state, including on East Main Street in Spartanburg. Representing Spartanburg County victims of pet attacks – especially dog bites and maulings – constitutes a significant focus of our legal practice.

While we take pride in our successes, we also cannot rest on our laurels, and we can never guarantee similar results to future clients. Every pet attack matter is unique, which is why our dog bite and animal attack attorneys in Spartanburg, SC, bring the full measure of their determination and professionalism to each and every representation we handle.

Spartanburg Dog Bite and Animal Attack Lawyer Near Me864-774-2200

South Carolina’s Dog Bite & Animal Attack Law

South Carolina statutes and local laws seek to protect the public from dangerous pets. Under Spartanburg’s animal control ordinance, for instance, it is “unlawful for any person to have, keep or maintain within the city any hog or pig, mountain lion or puma in any house, pen, structure, construction or device.”

Laws like these go a long way in preventing dangerous incidents involving pets, but they cannot eliminate the risk. That is why, when a dog bite or other pet attack injures someone in Spartanburg, state law allows the victim to seek compensation through legal processes.

Dog Bites and Liability in South Carolina

Dog bites and maulings happen frequently enough in South Carolina to merit its own statute under S.C. Code § 47-3-110. In Spartanburg and elsewhere around The Palmetto State, any “dog owner or person having [a] dog in the person’s care or keeping” will be held strictly liable for “the damages suffered by [a] person bitten or otherwise attacked” by the dog, except under the following circumstances:

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

Dog owners and handlers in Spartanburg may also face criminal sanctions for failing to obey state and local dog ownership regulations.

Legal Liability in Non-Dog Animal Attacks

Attacks by pets other than dogs may also result in legal liability. Under South Carolina’s legal principle of “premises liability,” if an animal attacks you on someone else’s property, the owner of that property may owe you damages depending on your legal “status” as a visitor there. An attorney familiar with the issues involved in representing pet attack victims can help you determine if a property owner owes you compensation for your injury.

Pet owners, too, may have legal liability when their pets inflict injuries on others. Every South Carolinian has a legal duty not to act in a way that could reasonably be expected to harm her fellow citizens, and that duty extends to keeping pets under control.

So, for example, the owner of a cat that habitually attacks strangers may have liability to anyone the cat attacks in public if the owner fails to take reasonable measures to keep the cat separated from potential victims.

Pursuing Compensation for a Spartanburg, South Carolina, Dog Bite or Animal Attack

Pet attack victims should seek immediate medical attention. Bites and lacerations that break the skin, especially, can run a high risk of developing dangerous infections. Victims should also report any attack to animal control officials to minimize the spread of rabies. If a loved one passed away because of a dog bite or animal attack, you may be able to recover damages through a wrongful death claim.

Pet attack victims can protect their legal rights by consulting with a lawyer who represents people injured by pets. Dog bites and attacks can inflict lasting physical and emotional harm, especially to children, but victims may have only a limited amount of time to seek compensation. The animal attack lawyers at George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers have the resources to investigate and litigate pet attacks in and out of Spartanburg County courts.

If you or a family member fall victim to a pet attack in the Spartanburg, South Carolina area, you may have rights to compensation for your injuries under South Carolina law. To learn more, contact us online or by phone to schedule a free case review. A dog bite and animal attack lawyer serving Spartanburg, SC, would be glad to meet with you in our Spartanburg office, your home, or the hospital if that’s most convenient for you.