Do you have a personal injury case?
✓ Were you or a loved one attacked by someone else’s dog?
✓ Did the attack cause serious physical injury?
✓ Did you seek medical attention for your injuries?
✓ Was the attack a result of dog owner (or caretaker) negligence?
✓ Did the attack occur in the Commonwealth of Virginia?
If you’ve answered yes to all of these questions, you may have a Virginia personal injury case. Consider consulting with a Virginia personal injury lawyer experienced with dog bite/attack cases to determine your options.
Virginia Dog Bite Lawyer
Richard Serpe is a highly skilled Virginia personal injury attorney with a reputation for meticulous trial preparation and presentation. He has a tremendous track record of success in obtaining substantial jury verdicts and settlements for his clients. A substantial portion of his career has been devoted to the representation of injured children.
Top-Rated Virginia Injury Lawyer
- Named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, Norfolk, VA (2020)
- Rated 10/10 – “Superb” by the online attorney rating service, Avvo.com
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America ® (2005 – Present)
- Received an AV rating from the Martindale-Hubbell law directory, which is the highest given
- Named a “Super Lawyer” – among the top 5 percent of lawyers in Virginia (2006 – Present)
Protect Your Rights
Here are a few steps you can take to protect yourself and your right to compensation:
- Get medical attention. First and foremost, if you’ve been injured, it is always a good idea to seek medical attention from a professional to protect your health. If you plan to make a personal injury claim, your medical records will document the serious nature of your injuries. If you do not seek medical treatment for your injuries, the defendant and his/her insurance company may try to claim 1) that your injuries were not serious, or 2) that you were not injured in the attack.
- Report the incident to the police, fire, or animal control department. When an animal attacks a person, that animal has become a potential threat to the health and safety of the public and should be reported to authorities. Further, animal control will need to conduct an investigation into the incident as well as quarantine the animal for rabies. The animal control investigative findings will become crucial evidence in your personal injury case.
- Chesapeake Animal Services Unit (757-382-8080)
- 2100 S Military Hwy, Chesapeake, VA 23320
- Consider contacting a lawyer. While hiring a lawyer is not required, having an experienced professional to advocate for your needs could mean a larger settlement for you and your family. A successful settlement can cover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, scarring and disfigurement, plastic surgery, permanent injuries and disabilities, a wrongful death, as well as the loss of earning capacity.
Dog Bite Settlements
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your situation, you may be entitled to one of more of the following compensatory damages:
- Medical Expenses: Damages may include any sort of medical expenses that a victim has had to pay for at a hospital, clinic, or to a pharmacy. These include the cost of basic medical treatment, going to the emergency room, and any sort of surgical treatment or care needed to repair the damaged area of the body.
- Loss of Earnings: You may be entitled to recover for the loss of earnings which you suffered from your injuries. This includes wages, commissions, bonuses, and all other earnings and fringe benefits. If you are not able to work presently because you are recovering from your injuries, the loss of income should be made up.
- Future Loss of Earnings: If your injuries have prevented you from your ability to earn income in the future, you can recover damages for the value of the reduction in earning capacity with reasonable probability which will occur in the future.
- Disfigurement: If the injury causes scarring or other unsightly marks, the victim may be entitled to recover for the disfigurement. Because these injuries are often in very visible places, victims are often very self-conscious of their appearance.
- Children are frequently bitten in the facial region and require plastic surgery later on in life. Depending on the age of the child at the time of the attack, many surgeons will not perform surgical revisions until the child reaches early adulthood. This means that many times, children will go through the embarrassment and humiliation of the scar through adolescence, a period in which they are very self- conscious of their appearance. This often impacts them both socially and emotionally.
- Pain and suffering: This is the right to compensation for physical pain and suffering and mental anguish you have suffered and could possibly endure in the future.
Child Dog Bites
Statute of Limitations (Deadlines)
In Virginia, there are strict deadlines for filing a lawsuit. In many cases, Virginia provides a two-year deadline also known as a Statute of Limitations. However, sometimes special circumstances apply and can alter that deadline. It is important to contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible after the accident to protect your rights.
City of Chesapeake Regulations
The City of Chesapeake provides several passages regarding dog bites and dog attacks, including laws and how these situations are dealt with. Here are a few of them:
- Dogs are required to stay in their own yard unless accompanied by an owner or another individual. Dogs and cats must be restrained by a collar and on a leash when not in their own yard.
- If a dog attacks a human or another animal, it may be impounded until a court hearing. The courts may then deem the dog dangerous or vicious. (To read more about Virginia laws regarding dangerous dogs click here.)
- Any dog that bites or scratches a human is required to be quarantined for a period of 10 days. Chesapeake Animal Control is responsible for overseeing this activity. An owner who fails to comply with this law can face criminal charges.
Free Consultations 877-544-5323
The Law Offices of Richard J. Serpe, PC works on a contingency fee basis, which means that you don’t owe us any legal fees unless we settle or win your case. We will work on your behalf to get a fair settlement, and only charge legal fees if you receive a settlement or verdict.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Chesapeake or Virginia dog attack, contact us to discuss your options.