Understanding your rights and options after a dog bite in Oklahoma
Legal Rights and Options for Victims of Dog Bites in Oklahoma
A topic that we have spoken about before and we’re going to keep talking about quite a bit especially in a community like Tulsa and in Oklahoma in general. We are a people that love our animals dearly, especially dogs. I’m a dog guy. I’m a dog rescue guy. I’ve had mutts since I was a little boy. We are seeing an increasing number, an alarming number of dog bite complaints and cases that are coming to us.
Responsibility for Dog Attacks
Dog bites are not a laughable thing. It’s not like in the Pink Panther movie with Peter Sellers where he says, does your dog bite in the Swiss chalet and the gentleman with the pipe says, no my dog does not bite. And then Peter Sellers tries to pet this little furball and just rips his hand off in the movie. It’s comedy. And I thought you said your dog does not bite. And the little man with the pipe says, that’s not my dog. But people need to be responsible for their dogs.
So if you are in a place you have a right to be and you do not provoke a dog and a dog attacks you, you have a right to compensation. And under Oklahoma law, in addition to that, even if they don’t attack you, let’s say that you’re taking Fluffy for a walk on a leash and Fluffy’s having a grand old time. But this dog sees Fluffy and this dog is an aggressive dog. It’s a territorial dog. It may not go at you. It may go after Fluffy. Well Fluffy has protections under the law just like you do.
Recovering for Injuries and Property Damage
So if you get injured, even if you, you should never reach into a dog fight to try to break it up. Number one. But if you do, because that’s normal instincts to protect your dog, what’s going to happen is likely you’re going to get bit. If you get bit, you have a chance for recovery because you were in a place you had a right to be. You did not provoke the animal to attack. The animal attacked. And you’re doing what you can to extricate yourself.
But here’s the other deal. The other deal is if Fluffy gets bitten and needs vet bills, vet treatment, Fluffy is considered what’s called a chattel in Oklahoma. That means Fluffy is property. Property damage in Oklahoma is recoverable even if the property damage is suffered by an animal because that’s your property. And therefore, attorney’s fees and costs can be recoverable.
What to Do When Attacked by a Dog
So if you’re out and about, you get attacked by a dog, extricate yourself from the situation, get the names of any witnesses that may have seen what happened, generally they’ll come up and sometimes they’ll intervene to get the dog away or sometimes they’ll know where the dog came from, but talk to and call the police. If you’re in a community that does not have animal control, the smaller communities surrounding Tulsa generally contract with Tulsa. Go ahead and call the police department. Most of them are equipped to intervene in animal control situations to some extent.
Call for a Low-cost Consultation
But as soon as that happens and as soon as you get the names of everybody and as soon as you get yourself and Fluffy checked, you call me, TulsaPersonalInjuryLawyer.Pro, Mike Ashworth, 918-924-5528. Take advantage of our initial consultation to understand your legal rights and options as a victim of a dog bite in Oklahoma.
