Injuries Caused by Animals

               Pets most commonly, dogs cause injuries in a variety of ways, biting, clawing, jumping & knocking people down, running & barking at people & making them lose their balance running into the street & causing vehicle accidents. A few states have laws making dog owners liable for any injuries their dogs cause away from the dog only if the owner knew or should have known that the dog was likely to cause the type of injury that occurred. A dog owner is usually covered by home owner’s or renter’s insurance for injuries caused by the dog & business owner is covered by business liability insurance for any injury caused by animal kept on the premises by the owner or any employee.

                In a claim for injuries caused by a dog, you & the insurance company will discuss whether the dog owner knew or should have known of a danger presented by the dog. The answer usually lies with the dogs’ past behavior. If the injury is a bite, & you can find any evidence that without provocation the dog had bitten, snapped, or lunged at anyone before, then you have gone a long way toward establishing a good claim. If the dog is of a “fighting breed”, you may be able to recover compensation even though you can’t prove any prior incidents of actual biting or snapping at humans. If your injury was caused by a dog jumping up & knocking you over, evidence that the dog frequently jumps up is enough, whether or not anyone has been knocked down before. If the dog is large, that too should make the owner aware of the danger, especially to small or unsteady people & if an accident was caused by an animal running into street, the fact that it has run out into the street before but the owner still lets the animal loose is good evidence of liability by the owner. Accidents also occur when vehicles run into farm or ranch animals that have wandered onto a road. Generally, an owner is liable for accidents caused by an animal that stays beyond the confines of the farm or ranch property.

              However, if the animal is being herded along or across a road that has signs warning that animals are lawfully present, it may be the driver who is responsible for an accident. If the animal is part of a working farm or ranch, the owner’s business liability insurance will deal with the accident. If the animal is not part of a business, then the property owner’s home insurance should handle the claim.