Ann Arbor Dog Bite Lawyer
Our Ann Arbor dog bite lawyers represent clients injured by dog bite and attacks. Many of these victims are the small children, the elderly, and postal carriers, and other service workers. These attacks often result in serious injuries and require medical treatment. We have obtained significant settlements for clients injured in these dog bite attacks.
Under Michigan law, a dog owner is strictly liable to the victim of a bite or attack under the Michigan Dog Bite Statute. This means that under the law, the person attacked is entitled as a matter of law to compensation for the injuries suffered in the attack. There are very few exceptions to this rule, but they include if the victim is a trespasser or provoked the dog into the attack. Typically, the dog owner’s homeowners insurance or renters insurance will pay the settlement.
In addition to state laws, there are specific Ann Arbor laws that apply to dog owners. These can be found in the Ann Arbor City Ordinances. Specifically, they are as follows:
Sec 9.45 Definitions
Ann Arbor Dog Bite Lawyers
(8) Vicious animal. An animal which:
(a) Has killed a person or caused a person serious bodily injury, including, but not limited to, injuries resulting in hospital confinement or reconstructive surgery.
(b) Is owned, possessed, harbored or trained for the purpose of animal fighting.
(c) Repeatedly bites or in any way injures people.
Sec. 9:47. Violations.
The owner of any dog or other animal shall be guilty of a violation of the chapter if:
(1) The dog is at any time not under reasonable control;
(2) The animal causes a noise nuisance;
(3) The animal causes a sanitation nuisance;
(4) The dog or dog-owner is in violation of any dog play area regulation.
(5) The animal is vicious;
(6) The dog is at a location other than as specified in a confinement order issued pursuant to this chapter;
(7) The animal has symptoms of rabies or has bitten or been bitten by another animal showing symptoms of rabies and the owner fails to notify an Animal Control Officer of that fact;
(8) The owner fails to comply with all the terms of a confinement order;
(9) A dangerous dog, when kept out of doors, is not in a pen or kennel sufficient to restrain the dog and surrounded by a perimeter fence not sharing common fencing with the pen or kennel;
(10) The animal, other than a dog, is dangerous and is not kept indoors;
(11) The person is convicted of owning a vicious dog and then acquires another dog within 2 years of the date of the conviction.
(Ord. No. 63-79, 12-17-79; Ord. No. 59-88, § 2, 12-19-88; Ord. No. 25-93, § 2, 8-16-93; Ord. No. 16-07, § 2, 6-18-07; Ord. No. 27-07, § 2, 8-6-07)
Quite often, the victim of the attack files a report with either the local police or local Animal Control agency. When a report is filed, it is necessary to obtain report. Our firm routinely obtains these for our clients. For a report filed with police department in Ann Arbor, you should request the Animal Control report at the following location:
Ann Arbor Police Department
100 N. Fifth Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-994-2875
Contact Our Ann Arbor Dog Bite Lawyers
Want to know the settlement value of your Ann Arbor dog bite case? Tell us your story and we will evaluate your case.
- Toll-Free Phone (800) 606-1717
- Contact By Fax (248) 569-6737
- Contact By E-mail Larry@Buckfirelaw.com
You can also contact our Ann Arbor dog bite lawyers initially through our website Free Case Review Box. If you prefer that type of contact initially, we will review your case and get back to you quickly with our initial opinions. Our goal is to learn as much as possible about your case and then provide you with your best legal options.
