Bessemer Dog Bite Attorneys

Dogs are often referred to as man’s best friend; however, if not handled properly they can be dangerous to your family, friends and the general public. Bessemer, home to some 26,019 citizens, is a southwestern suburb of Birmingham in Jefferson County and is within the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bessemer has some great parks and outdoor areas for dogs to play such as DeBardeleben Park, McNeil Park, Carver Park and the Hueytown Dog Park. These are great parks for dog owners to take dogs in order to enjoy the outdoors. However, if the dogs are not handled properly or restrained, problems can arise in these parks and innocent people can get injured or even killed from a dog attack. Moreover, dog bites and attacks occur in many other types of settings and environments, including inside homes and out in neighborhoods. Whether the dog bite or attack occurs at a park in Bessemer, at a home or out in a neighborhood, the victim of an attack has legal rights and can make a claim to get compensated for physical injuries, emotional distress, pain and suffering, permanent scarring, lost wages and more. 

If you or anyone you know has been injured or killed by a dog, it is important to allow an attorney to step in immediately. The Bessemer dog bite attorneys at Hollis, Wright & Clay, P.C. are skilled at handling the insurance claims related to your attack and ensuring you receive the financial compensation you deserve for your medical bills, lost wages, emotional trauma, and more. Dog bites and attacks can often lead to serious injuries, permanent scarring and even death. In fact, incidents in Bessemer have occurred in the past involving dogs running loose and killing other people’s pets as well as a man, leaving many citizens afraid for themselves as well as their pets and their children. Allow us to handle your claim while you and your family rest and recover from any injuries and losses. You can contact us here or at 844.LAW.TALK or 205.324.3600 for a free and confidential consultation regarding your potential case.

It is of the utmost importance for those who own pets to ensure the animals are trained, are properly housed, and are not permitted to roam freely off a leash. Pet owners have a responsibility to ensure their animals are not a danger to others. This can best be accomplished through proper obedience training as well as temperament training and testing. There are certain breeds of dogs that inherently have vicious propensities and training is critically important to reducing the chance of one of these dogs from biting or attacking someone. Unfortunately, some owners and some breeders will release dogs into the wild and/or let them roam. The humane society states that often breeders who don’t sell all of their animals will simply release them, causing a roaming dog problem in certain areas of the state. For this reason, it is important to know what to do should you encounter dangerous dogs.

If you see stray, unleashed dogs, and you feel you are in danger, you should spray them with pepper spray. You can report sightings of concerning or threatening dogs to animal control officers at 205.591.6522.

If a threatening off-leash dog approaches, you should not:

• Scream
• Run
• Flail
• Panic
• Make eye contact
• Jump up and down

If a threatening off-leash dog approaches, you should:

• Use a firm voice
• Stand upright
• Stay quiet and don’t scream
• Try to get on top of something
• Throw food away from yourself if you have any

If you or someone you know in Bessemer or Jefferson County has been injured by a dog, always seek medical attention first. If possible, take pictures of any injuries and document anything else you think may be important. Also, identifying the dog itself and the owner of the dog is critically important to successfully pursuing a claim. Without this information, you will likely not be able to successfully recover money for your injuries.

After you have received medical attention for your injuries, please call the skilled Bessemer dog bite attorneys at Hollis, Wright & Clay, P.C. so that we can make a claim on your behalf and work to ensure you receive adequate monetary compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company. Contact us for your free consultation today at 844.LAW.TALK, 205.324.3600 or here.