New Jersey Dog Bite Attorneys
New Jersey Dog Bite Law
New Jersey dog bites are a serious matter. Dog owners have a responsibility to ensure that their dogs don’t cause harm to others, and must accept responsibility for any injuries that occur as a result. In the event that a dog does injure a person, the circumstances surrounding the dog bite need to be thoroughly examined to determine to what degree, if any, negligence played in the injury.
According to New Jersey state law 4:19-16, which refers to the Liability of owner regardless of viciousness of dog:
"The owner of any dog which shall bite a person while such person is on or in a public place, or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, shall be liable for such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of such dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness."
Essentially, as long as a dog bite victim in New Jersey is not trespassing on the dog owner’s property, then the dog owner is responsible for any injury that occurs as a result of the dog bite. However, if the injured party’s own negligence played a part in the dog bite occurring in the first place, then it can be declared that the dog owner is not entirely responsible for the injury, and therefore is not required to fully compensate the injured party for damages determined to be associated with the accident. Ultimately though, an injured party need only prove that while either in public or on the dog owner’s property,the injured party was accosted, through minimal fault of their own, by the dog and consequently bitten.
In all personal injury cases, every detail needs to be carefully examined to determine whether or not negligent action was to blame, and whom the negligent action should be attributed to. If you have been the victim of a dog bite, please don’t hesitate to contact the New Jersey personal injury law firm of Lependorf & Silverstein. Our Princeton dog bite attorneys will examine the circumstances leading up to your dog bite, and will hold negligent parties accountable for their actions, seeking compensatory damages on your behalf. Call us today at 609-240-0040 for a free consultation of your case.