CHANGE IN PERSONAL INJURY LAW REGARDING DOG BITES

When people think of the term “personal injury claim,” they usually imagine an injury inflicted by one person onto another, whether by accident or on purpose. However, many of the leading root causes of personal injury lawsuits and claims involve something other than other people. In fact, one of the most common causes of personal injury in Missouri are dog bites.

The law, as any personal injury lawyer in Jefferson City, MO can tell you, is not a static, unchanging thing. It is in constant motion, being refined and corrected at all times. Thus, what you knew about the law as it pertains to a certain situation may not remain accurate over time. For example, recent changes to the law in Missouri regarding the simple dog bite have made it much easier to file a personal injury claim.

No Negligence Needed

Previously, a personal injury lawyer in Jefferson City, MO would have had to demonstrate that the owner of the dog in question had been negligent in some way – by not having the animal on a leash, or by ignoring previous incidents of the dog attacking humans. This sometimes made the burden of proving an injury claim involving a dog more work than it was worth.

Recent changes in the law, however, have made it much easier. No longer is negligence required – now the plaintiff in a dog bite claim must only demonstrate that they did nothing to provoke the animal.

While proving non-provocation has its own challenges, it is easier and less labor and time intensive than having to establish a pattern of prior behavior on the part of the dog’s owner. This means more people will be able to seek just compensation for injuries they sustain from other people’s pets.

Filed Under: Personal Injury