Helping You Recover Compensation For Your Injuries and Anguish After A Virginia Dog Attack That Wasn’t Your Fault
Our Virginia dog bite injury lawyers represent children, delivery drivers, postal workers, and anyone else attacked by a dog. Attorney Richard Serpe has over 35 years of experience and results helping the injured recover compensation. If you’ve been attacked, contact us to discuss your legal options; call/text 757-233-0009 anytime.
We offer a no fee promise, which means that you don’t owe us any legal fees unless we settle or win your case. Our firm will work on your behalf to get a fair settlement, and only charge legal fees if you receive a settlement or verdict.
DO YOU HAVE A DOG BITE 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 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. As a personal injury attorney, he advocates for those who have been injured due to the negligence of another person, dangerous product, or company. A large portion of his 35-year legal career has been devoted to the representation of injured children.
Awards & Recognition
- “Super Lawyer” – top 5% in Virginia (2006 – Present)
- Best Lawyers (2005 – Present)
- Norfolk Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year (2020)
- AV rating from the Martindale-Hubbell law directory, highest given
- Rated 10/10 – “Superb” by attorney rating service Avvo.com
WHAT TO DO AFTER AN ATTACK
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. 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.
- Newport News Animal Services Division 757-595-7387
5843 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA 23605
- Newport News Animal Services Division 757-595-7387
- 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.
COMPENSATION FOR DOG BITE VICTIMS
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 the paychecks you missed out on because of the attack. And if your injuries will affect your ability to earn a living, you may be able to recover those damages as well.
- 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.
DOG ATTACKS TO CHILDREN
Dog bite injuries range from minor to deadly. Lacerations and punctures are common among child dog bite victims, as are sprains, fractures and tissue loss. Many times, scarring on the face and neck leave a permanent reminder of the attack. Some victims require initial surgery to repair the damage done by the dog and plastic surgery down the line to fix the cosmetic damage. Sadly, many of our dog attack clients are children.
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 to protect your rights.
Newport News Dog Bite Resources
The Newport News Animal Services Division (ASD), lists several regulations regarding dogs:
- Leash Law Enforcement- Newport News required dog owners to keep thier dog under their immediate control any time the dog is taken off their property (Sec. 6-25).
- Dangerous & Vicious Dogs – A dog will be classified dangerous when it has bitten, attacked, or inflicted injury on a person or companion animal. “A dog can be classified as vicious when it kills or inflicts serious injury to a person, including multiple bites, serious disfigurement, serious impairment of health, or serious impairment of a body function.”