Dog Bite Accidents
Although they can be man’s best friend, dogs can also cause serious injuries if they attack and bite or jump up and push a person down. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 800,000 people seek medical treatment due to dog bites each year in the United States, and young children are the most at risk. Dog owners should be familiar with the responsibilities and liability that come along with owning a dog.
Under Michigan law, dog owners have strict, or automatic, liability if their dog bites a person who was on public property or lawfully on private property and did not provoke the dog. The owner is unavoidably liable even if the dog had not shown any signs of viciousness prior to the bite. In many cases, a person’s homeowners’ insurance may cover damages from a dog bite.
