Louisiana laws make it possible for a victim of a dog bite to hold the animal’s owner accountable for the situation. Not every canine breed receives a classification as dangerous, often giving dog owners a legal pass for the first incident of a bite.
Whether you want to pursue justice through the dog bite laws of the state or as a personal injury claim on account of owner negligence, there are some things to know about a pet’s bad behavior.
Owner responsibility
Dogs act of their own will, but for pet owners, the dog’s aggressive actions and resulting injuries or damages are personal problems. Under the dog bite law, owners have strict liability for their dog’s actions. There are stipulations with this liability, one being the classification of the dog as aggressive.
The other is an owner’s failure to act. The owners either knew of the aggressive tendencies from a previous incident displaying similar behavior or the owners could reasonably suspect that the dog could cause injury.
Victim responsibility
In order to pursue a legal resolution to a bite case, victims have the responsibility to show how the dog owner failed to meet their legal responsibility for their pet. This could mean the attack was preventable if the dog was on a leash, behind a fence or contained some other way.
Because dog behaviors are not always predictable, use common sense when interacting with an unknown dog or one that is not your own. If the dog attacks and injures you or your child, state law always you to seek compensation for your injuries.
