Our Recoveries For Dog Bite Claims

This case was settled in 9 days for the entire policy limits. The client had the tip of her finger bitten off by a Pit Bull. Mr. Penneys sent the injury photographs to the insurance company, and insisted that they tender the entire policy, which they quickly did.

A Philadelphia minor child was playing in her yard when the neighbor’s German Shepherd came onto her property and attacked her, causing severe injuries/scarring to her face. The dog owners tried to blame the child, saying that she wandered onto their property. However, the owners’ claim was not believed by anyone, including their own insurance company, which settled just before a lawsuit was about to be filed.

A Montgomery County child was riding his bicycle through the neighborhood when a neighbor’s dog broke through the fence on the property, and grabbed a hold of the child’s leg, causing him to fall from his bicycle. The dog then proceeded to bite the child on multiple parts of the body, causing significant blood loss. The child was rushed to the emergency room, where he was treated and released. The insurance company quickly settled without the need for a lawsuit.

A UPS driver approached the front door of a home to deliver a package. As soon as the door opened, an Akita ran out and bit the driver on his right leg and would not let go. The dog owner had to hit his dog with a golf club to get him to release. Once the dog released the person’s leg, the driver was rushed to hospital because the leg was so damaged. After surgery, the driver had 6 months of physical therapy. Unfortunately, the dog attack left the driver with a sizable scar on the leg, as well as a ton of medical bills. The case was settled shortly after a lawsuit was filed.

A teenage girl went to her boyfriend’s house and while there, a dog that was normally kept in the basement due to aggression issues was allowed upstairs. Immediately after seeing the girl, the dog lunged at her, biting her upper lip. Blood was everywhere, and she was immediately taken to the emergency room, where a plastic surgeon was called in to perform a procedure. The lip healed well, but she continued to have nerve issues in the area of the bite.

A Philadelphia dog sitter was hired to watch a customer’s dogs for the weekend. Upon arrival to the customer’s home to start the job, one of the 2 dogs jumped up on her, pushed her down to the ground, and started attacking her. She was able to get away, but not after the dog had bitten a hole through her right leg. She called 911 and the emergency services immediately sent an ambulance which transported her to the nearest ER. Unfortunately, the dog was not current with its rabies vaccinations, and she contracted rabies. After antibiotics, 5 months of physical therapy and a permanently scarred leg, the insurance company settled for $375,000.

Great Bucks County jury verdict. A Bucks County woman went to a party with a friend. There was a dog at the house that was normally kept isolated from guests, but for some reason was not on this night. Shortly after arriving at the house, she encountered the dog and went to pet it. The dog jumped up and bit her on the lip. Everyone at the party saw what happened but instead of doing the right thing, they all testified that the plaintiff provoked the dog after being told to stay away. The jury did not believe this story, and awarded her accordingly.

Philadelphia County jury verdict. An Amazon delivery driver was walking back to his truck after making a delivery. Before he could climb back in, a dog ran from a neighbor’s house and started attacking the driver. The injury was to his left leg, requiring stitches.

Verdict against a landlord, which is not an easy thing to accomplish. A girl was badly attacked by an uninsured tenant’s dog. We went after the landlord since there was no other insurance to go after. In order to find a landlord responsible for a tenant’s dog causing injury (and the tenant has no renter’s insurance), we must prove that the landlord (1) knew the dog was on the property; (2) knew the dog was dangerous, and (3) failed to do anything about it, such as ordering the tenant to remove the dog OR evicting the tenant. The landlord tried to say that he had no idea that the dog was vicious, but testimony from a maintenance man who no longer worked for the landlord testified that the dog had attacked the landlord and the maintenance man himself. Finding this witness wasn’t easy, and it was solely his testimony that helped the jury find against the landlord.

Jury verdict in the amount of $375,000. A Philadelphia County woman went to her daughter’s house. The daughter’s house was next to a neighbor who owned a Rottweiler. The back yards of both homes were separated by a wooden fence, which was installed and owned by the dog owner. While the mother was in the backyard of her daughter’s house, the dog broke through the wooden fence with its snout, and was able to latch on to the mother’s hand, causing significant injuries resulting in surgery. The dog owner tried everything, from blaming the mother to denying that she was responsible for the fence. In the end, the jury disbelieved everything the dog owner was saying, found in favor of the plaintiff.

Case resolved through Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”). A twenty-five year old male went to the dog owner’s home to do an insurance appraisal. It was arranged that he would arrive between 10 am and 11 am. When he arrived, he exited his vehicle and was immediately faced with a very angry Pit Bull. He tried to get back into his vehicle, but the dog literally dragged him by his leg out of the vehicle and onto his back, and proceeded to attack, causing very serious injuries to the leg and torso. The parties agreed to ADR in lieu of a jury trial. So instead of 3 days in court and significant court costs for both sides, the “trial” lasted 4 hours and was much less expensive. ADR is a great way to resolve certain disputes, and this case was perfect for this method.

This was a minor case with insignificant injuries. Fault of the dog owner was admitted, so it was just a matter of agreeing on compensation that everyone would be happy with. For 4 puncture wounds on the right forearm of a teenage boy, and less than $1,000.00 in medical bills, this was a fantastic result.

If you don't win, you don't pay legal fees

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I offer free, confidential consultations to Pennsylvania dog bite injury victims and their families.

It would be a travesty of justice for you to abandon a valid claim simply because you lack the financial means to enforce your rights. Fortunately, Jeffrey H. Penneys applies a “no win, no pay” system – if you don’t receive compensation (a settlement, an arbitration award, or a favorable courtroom verdict), then you owe him nothing in legal fees.