Whether you were injured while walking down a street in your own neighborhood or while visiting a different area, you may face significant medical bills, a lengthy recovery process and long-term emotional damage if you get bitten by a dog. You should not have to deal with this on your own. A dog attack can result in catastrophic injuries, including spinal cord damage, head trauma, broken bones, nerve and tissue damage, puncture wounds, eye injuries, permanent scarring, infectionsor diseases (like rabies) and blood loss. In the worst cases, a vicious dog attack can cause wrongful death.

New Jersey law recognizes the serious nature of dog bite injuries by imposing strict liability on dog owners in the Garden State. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 4:19-16, a dog owner must keep their animal in control regardless of whether the dog has a prior history of vicious attacks. Even if the dog has never attacked anyone else before now and the owner has no reason to believe that the dog will commit an attack, the owner is still liable for your dog bite injuries.

In order to win your dog bite case, you need an attorney who understands the nuances of dog bite law in New Jersey and who can prove every required element of your personal injury claim. Your attorney will need to establish that the defendant was the legal owner of the dog that attacked you, that you were in a public place or legally on the dog owner’s premises at the time of the dog attack, and that you sustained injuries as a result of the dog attack or dog bite.