A dog attack is a frightening and painful experience, especially when it’s unexpected and unprovoked. A dog’s bite can seriously injure a human being, but even when a bite injury doesn’t seem severe, it can lead to infections and other complications.
Fortunately, Ohio holds dog owners strictly liable for injuries inflicted by their dogs. If you’ve been attacked by a dog in Grove City, Ohio, contact a dog bite attorney immediately to secure legal representation. Not only are you entitled to compensation for your injuries, but you may also be entitled to punitive damages if the dog has attacked other people.
Oliver Law Office serves Grove City and other communities in the Columbus, Ohio, area. Founder Jami S. Oliver was named lawyer of the year in Columbus for 2024. We’re happy to make house calls or meet with you by video, and our Columbus office is just 14 minutes from Grove City. Contact us today to get started with a free case evaluation.
In most personal injury cases, your attorney must prove negligence before a court holds a person liable for damages. However, Ohio’s dog bite law is based on strict liability, which means that the dog owner is liable whether they were negligent or not. In other words, they’re liable for damages even if they had no reason to know their dog might bite someone. The owner is liable even if you are on their property when the attack happens unless you are trespassing at the time or doing something to provoke the dog.
The significant advantage of Ohio’s strict liability law is that your attorney doesn’t have to prove anything except that the dog attacked and injured you. The court will hold the dog owner liable for damages, including:
Your medical expenses
Any lost wages from time off work
Your pain and suffering from the attack
However, even though the strict liability law can benefit you after a dog bite attack, there is sometimes an advantage to taking legal action under a different statute.
What if the dog who attacked you has attacked someone else before? You may not want to be satisfied with Ohio’s strict liability statute in that situation. Under Ohio law, a municipal or county court can designate a dog as a nuisance, dangerous, or vicious dog. Each of these terms has a different definition:
A nuisance dog is a dog that has menaced or chased people or tried to bite them when away from its owner’s property.
A dangerous dog is a dog that has escaped its owner’s control on at least three occasions, has killed another dog, or has injured a person.
A vicious dog is a dog that has severely injured or killed a person.
The owner of a dangerous or vicious dog is required by Ohio law to carry liability insurance and to keep the dog contained except under specific circumstances, such as while hunting. If you sue a dog owner for failing to control a dog known to be dangerous or vicious, the damages you can recover are potentially much higher.
In addition, your attorney can ask the court to award punitive damages designed to not merely recoup your losses but to punish the dog’s owner for failing to control a dangerous or vicious animal. Courts don’t always agree to impose punitive damages, but your injuries will help your attorney argue that they are justified under the circumstances.
Collecting damages for a dog bite attack in Ohio is not always possible. You are barred from recovering damages if the dog attacked you when you were:
Committing criminal trespass on the dog owner’s property
Committing any other crime except a minor misdemeanor on the owner’s property
Committing a crime against a person
Teasing, abusing, or harassing the dog
These exceptions to Ohio’s dog bite laws are meant to protect dogs who are following their nature and protecting their owner or their property from harm. This exception would not cover a dog attack on a door-to-door salesperson.
If you are bitten or otherwise injured by a dog in Ohio, Franklin County Public Health recommends the following steps:
Clean the injury with soap and water
Apply a bandage or clean dressing to the wound
Seek medical attention immediately to guard against rabies and other infections
Get the name, address, and phone number of the dog’s owner if possible
Contact the district health commissioner and report the dog bite
Grove City is in Franklin County, so you would contact Franklin County Public Health at (614) 525-3160.
People may be reluctant to report a dog bite because they’re afraid that the dog will be put to sleep for biting a human being. However, courts don’t make the decision to euthanize a dog so lightly.
After you report a dog bite, the dog is quarantined for 10 days to watch for symptoms of rabies. County officials will then decide whether to classify the dog as a nuisance, dangerous, or vicious dog, depending on the circumstances of the attack. The county can require the owner to keep the dog contained to protect other people from being bitten, and the owner may have to buy liability insurance. Convicted felons are not allowed to own dangerous or vicious dogs, so if the owner has a felony record, they will not be allowed to keep the dog.
If you’ve been hurt in a dog attack, you shouldn’t have to deal with the medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering on your own. Dog bite injuries often result in complications that can make healing a longer and more difficult process. The dog’s owner should compensate you for the expenses caused by their dog’s aggressive behavior.
If their dog has attacked someone before and been designated as a nuisance, dangerous, or vicious dog, it’s even more important to hold them accountable. If there are no consequences for their negligence, their dog may attack someone else again.
Your best course of action is to contact a dog bite lawyer serving Grove City, Ohio. Depending on the circumstances of your case, your attorney can either pursue a claim under Ohio’s strict liability dog bite law or under Ohio’s laws pertaining to nuisance, dangerous, or vicious dogs.
Serving Grove City and other communities near Columbus, Ohio, Oliver Law Office is an award-winning personal injury firm founded by Jami S. Oliver. Our office is only 14 minutes from Grove City, but we can come to you or meet you by video call if it would be more convenient. Contact us right away to arrange your free case evaluation.
To reach our office at 140 E Town St #1100, Columbus, Ohio 43215:
From the North:
Take I-71 S towards Columbus
Take exit 108A for Main St
Turn right onto E Main St
Turn right onto S 4th St
Turn left onto E Town St
Destination will be on the left
From the South:
Take US-23 N towards Columbus
Turn right onto E Main St
Turn left onto S 4th St
Turn left onto E Town St
Destination will be on the left
From the East:
Take I-70 W towards Columbus
Take exit 102 to Cole St
Turn right onto Kelton Ave
Turn left onto Main St
Turn right onto 4th St
Turn left onto Town St
Destination will be on the right
From the West:
Take I-70 E towards Columbus
Take exit 100 B to W Livingston Ave
Turn left onto S. 4th Street
Turn left onto E Town St
Destination will be on the left
