Dog Bite Injuries

Dog bites, especially those committed by large dogs, can result in severe personal injuries. Injuries that often arise from serious dog bites often include:

  • Lacerations and puncture wounds
  • Broken bones
  • Shock and blood loss
  • Disfigurement and permanent scarring
  • Nerve damage

In addition to the obvious physical damage a dog bite can do, which sometimes require plastic surgery and/or skin grafts, there is also a high risk of developing an infection after being bitten. This is because out of the more than 60 different types of bacteria that have been found in dogs’ mouths, some of those present can be dangerous to humans. Infections that can develop include:

  • Capnocytophaga
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
  • Pasteurella
  • Rabies
  • Tetanus

What Is Virginia’s One Bite Rule?

In Virginia, all pet owners have a duty to take any and all reasonable precautions to prevent their pets from hurting someone. If they violate this duty of care and you are injured as a result, you are entitled to hold the owner liable for their negligence.

The One Bite Rule is a law allowing the victim of a dog bite to claim financial compensation for damages if the dog’s owner was aware, or reasonably should have been aware, that the dog was unsafe.

The rule states that if a dog has previously bitten another person in a documented incident, then the owner should have realized that the dog is a potential threat to the safety of others. The One Bite Rule also applies if the dog has attacked, bitten, or otherwise caused injury to another animal.

There are some exceptions to the One Bite Rule that the dog’s owner may try to use to argue against any dog bite claim you may file against them:

  • The dog has attacked another animal, and a vet determines that the animal was not seriously injured as a result.
  • The dog attacked another animal owned by the same person.
  • The dog attacked while on its owner’s property.
  • The dog an animal control officer or law enforcement officer determines that the resulting injury was minor, such as a scratch, nip, or mild abrasion.

Exceptions to the One Bite Rule also apply if:

  • The victim was at least partly to blame
  • The victim was trespassing when the attack occurred
  • The victim provoked the dog