Dog Bites and Animal Attacks

Massachusetts Dog Bite and Animal Injury Lawyers

Massachusetts public policy has long favored the rights of dog bite victims by imposing what amounts to strict liability against the owner of an animal who injures another person. Even if the dog has never before shown dangerous tendencies or bitten anyone, the owner will be responsible to the injured person for damages, unless the owner can convince a jury that an adult victim was a trespasser or somehow provoked the dog. For additional information about our ability to represent your interests effectively in a dog bite case, contact a Greater Boston personal injury lawyer at Kenney & Conley for a free consultation about your claim.

Social guests, small children, delivery and home repair workers, and even motorists and bicycle riders are all at risk when an unrestrained and aggressive dog confronts a stranger with its teeth. Depending on the size of the dog and the nature of the attack, dog bite injuries can be very serious and even occasionally fatal, particularly in cases where very young children are the victims. Severe damage to soft tissues and extensive scarring and disfiguration are injuries that more commonly result from dog bites. Our attorneys are careful to develop and present complete documentation of your injuries so that you can receive the full value of your losses.

In cases where prior incidents of dangerous behavior or complaints about loose or unleashed dogs come to the attention of the town or city officials, an order of restraint can be issued against the owner, who can then be held liable for triple damages to the victim of a later attack by the same dog.

Dog or other animal owners can also be liable to passing bike riders, drivers, or joggers who suffer injuries in an accident caused by sudden swerving or braking to avoid a loose animal on the street or highway.

We also represent police officers and firefighters injured by dog bites while responding to emergencies. The precedent supporting their right to personal injury damages in a civil lawsuit was established several years ago in one of our own cases.

For more information about your rights to compensation, contact the Massachusetts dog bite lawyers at Kenney & Conley in Braintree.