After a dog bite, you may face significant financial losses. First and foremost, you may incur tremendous medical bills as you seek to address your various injuries. You may also lose income after being forced to miss work due to your injuries. These two losses feed into each other, and it becomes increasingly difficult to pay your medical bills with no income to speak of. Finally, you might incur various “non-economic” damages – including PTSD, depression, loss of enjoyment of life, and other psychological concerns. Who pays for these damages after a dog bite in Georgia?
Dog Owners Often Pay for Damages After a Dog Attack
The obvious party who becomes liable for dog bite injuries is the owner. In Georgia, you can hold these dog owners liable for your injuries – even if they took reasonable steps to prevent harm from occurring. The real question is whether they have enough assets to cover your damages.
In an ideal world, the dog owner will have both liability insurance and various assets to cover your damages. While dog bite liability insurance is somewhat rare, it does exist in Georgia – and residents can purchase it as an “add-on” with their homeowners’ insurance. However, this would drive up the cost of insurance to a considerable degree, especially if the dog breed is infamous for attacks.
Even without insurance, it may be possible to go after the owner’s personal assets. Theoretically, you could force the owner to sell their home in order to pay for your medical bills, lost income, and other damages. However, this could prove challenging for a number of reasons – including Georgia’s homestead exemption.
Who Else Might Pay for My Damages?
It may be possible to pursue compensation from other parties – and a common target is a landlord. Although it is much more difficult to sue a landlord compared to a dog owner, this is theoretically possible in Georgia.
One example of landlord liability is obvious: The landlord is the same person who owned the animal. For example, your landlord might have visited your residence with their dog – perhaps while collecting rent. If the dog bites you during this interaction, you could pursue compensation from the landlord.
Alternatively, you could sue your landlord if the dog bite was caused by some kind of defect on the premises. For example, you might live in a duplex – and perhaps your neighbor has a dog. If there is a defective gate or fence between your property and that of your neighbor, this could cause a dog attack to occur. The animal might break through the fence despite your repeated requests to have it fixed.
The benefit of suing a landlord is simple: These individuals have extensive liability insurance that covers various injuries on their properties. Dog bites are covered, and you can seek compensation directly from the insurer instead of trying to go after anyone’s personal assets. In theory, this could lead to a relatively quick financial settlement.