Walker Jack Consultants

Types of Personal Injury: Animals

Dog attacks have featured in the news with alarming regularity recently, and many of them have been serious or even fatal attacks against young children. Even a single dog bite can cause pain and distress to an adult, especially with the added risk of diseases such as rabies. The Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991 was introduced to protect the public from certain breeds of dog recognised as particularly aggressive towards humans. These include pit bull terriers and mastiffs, and owners of these dogs should ensure the dog is chipped, insured, muzzled and kept on a lead. A dog bite claim will be easier to prove if the dog already has a history of aggressive behaviour, however a no win no fee injury claim can still be made even if the dog has never bitten anyone before. Dog bite victims will need to take the dog owner’s details and report the incident to the police, as this initial report and essential information will be key in processing a compensation claim with a no win no fee lawyer. It isn’t even always necessary to demonstrate that the owner was negligent in order to claim compensation for incidents like this.

Other animals can also cause injuries: for example, kicks from a horse, unprovoked bites or other types of assault from a zoo or farm animal, even stings from bees and wasps can cause extreme reactions in some humans. Last summer an agricultural worker went in to anaphylactic shock and died following a bee sting, and in fact contrary to popular belief, wasp stings can prove to have equally horrific effects.

In the case of wild animals, the case will always be a little more complicated; however, if you are attacked by a wild animal while on safari on holiday, for example, it is possible that you are entitled to seek compensation.