A Guide To Claiming Dog Bite Compensation
If a dangerously out of control dog has injured you, then our dedicated personal injury solicitors can help.
£85 million in compensation
A Guide To Claiming Dog Bite Compensation
If a dangerously out of control dog has injured you, then our dedicated personal injury solicitors can help.
Dogs are one of the UK’s most popular pets and most of the time, the animals are completely safe to own, play with and take out and about. However when someone in control of a dog does not take sufficient care, people can get bitten. That’s why we’ve created this guide to making a dog bite compensation claim.
Key aspects of making a claim, such as the law on dangerous dogs, how compensation is calculated and what evidence you can use to support your claim are all covered in this guide.
Our final section looks at the No Win No Fee agreement offered by our expert solicitors and how a solicitor can help you claim for a dog bite.
To access further guidance, or to get a free eligibility assessment, contact our team today using the contact details given here:
- Call us on 0151 375 9916.
- You can also contact us online by completing our callback form.
Can I Claim Compensation For A Dog Bite Injury?
The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 makes it a criminal offence to have a dangerously out of control dog. The owner, or person responsible for the dog, such as a dog walker for example, must ensure the dog is kept under control at all times.
An offence is therefore committed where there is a failure to control the dog and another person or persons are injured.
Can I Claim For A Dog Bite That Happened Whilst At Work?
Many different people could encounter potentially dangerous dogs while at work, such as postmen, delivery drivers, dog groomers and those maintaining public places like parks. Those responsible for the dog must keep control of the animal when workers are coming into a property or working in public areas.
This can involve things such as shutting the dog away in the back garden or separate room and using a dog gate or muzzle.
What If The Dog Bite Happened On Private Property?
The Dangerous Dogs Act extends to private property, whether you are the property owner or not. No matter the circumstances or location, the individual who is responsible for the dog must control the dog and take precautions to prevent injuries.
You can get a free assessment of your eligibility to claim by speaking to our advisory team today.
How Much Dog Bite Compensation Could I Get?
Dog bite compensation may be awarded under two different heads of claim. These are:
- Physical harm and psychological injuries are compensated under general damages.
- Financial losses stemming from your injuries are compensated under special damages. We’ll examine this head of claim in more detail in a later section.
Calculating a possible general damages figure is something our solicitors will do for you. In order to accurately value your injuries, reference will be made to your medical documents alongside the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This publication contains guideline compensation figures for different injuries, a relevant selection of which has been used in the table here.
Compensation Table
It is important we emphasise that this table has been included for guidance purposes only and that the top entry is not a JCG figure.
| Type of Injury | Severity | Guideline Compensation Figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple Very Severe Injuries Together With Financial Losses | Very Severe | Up to £500,000 + | Multiple very severe injuries in addition to significant financial harm such as a loss of earnings, medical bills and care expenses. |
| Other Arm Injuries | Severe Injuries (b)(i) | £117,360 to £159,770 | Although the arm has not been lost, the claimant is not much better than if it had been. |
| Injuries Causing Permanent and Substantial Disablement (b)(ii) | £47,810 to £73,050 | Serious fractures with permanent residual disability to either one or both of the party’s forearms. | |
| PTSD | Severe (a) | £73,050 to £122,850 | Permanent and severe effects across all aspects of life preventing anything resembling the pre-trauma levels of functioning. |
| Moderately Severe (b) | £28,250 to £73,050 | Significant disability for the foreseeable future despite a better prognosis than in (a) | |
| Facial Disfigurement | Very Severe Scarring | £36,340 to £118,790 | In relatively young claimants where there is a severe psychological reaction. |
| Less Severe Scarring | £21,920 to £59,090 | Substantial disfigurement and significant psychological impacts. | |
| Hand Injuries | Severe Fractures to The Fingers | Up to £44,840 | Deformity, impaired grip and reduced mechanical function. |
| Scarring to Other Parts of The Body | A Number of Noticeable Laceration Scars or One Single Disfiguring Scar | £9,560 to £27,740 | Cases where there are multiple noticeable scars, or a single disfiguring scar to the limbs, chest or back. |
| Ankle Injuries | Modest | Up to £16,770 | Less serious, minor and undisplaced fractures, sprains and ligamentous injuries. |
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Common Injuries Caused By Dog Bites
Any dog, no matter their breed or size, can cause injuries if not properly controlled. Of course, the larger and more powerful breeds have the potential to cause more serious injuries, and owners of these dogs should take additional precautions, such as muzzles and harnesses, to maintain control over their animal.
Possible injuries that could be caused include:
- Soft tissue injuries.
- Cuts and lacerations, particularly on the limbs.
- Scars.
- Psychological trauma.
- Infections.
- The loss of appendages, limbs or broken bones.
The injuries caused by a dog attack can be serious and life-changing. At JF-Law our dedicated solicitors will support you throughout the claims process, and determine a fair and accurate compensation figure. Find out more about claiming in your particular circumstances today by talking to our advisors.
Can I Claim Dog Bite Compensation For Anything Other Than Physical Harm?
As we touched on above, special damages is the second of the two heads of claim and compensates for the financial harm caused by your your injuries. A dog bite can have life changing effects and role of special damages is to quantify this.
Future losses are also compensated under this head of claim, which means it is very common for special damages payouts to be significantly higher than payouts for the injuries themselves.
Examples of costs you could claim back include:
- Loss of earnings due to absence from work.
- Medical costs such as private treatment, prescriptions and therapy sessions.
- Home assistance including help with food preparation, cleaning and maintenance and caring for dependents if you are unable to safely carry out these tasks by yourself.
- The cost of travel if you cannot drive.
Every claim is assessed individually so we cannot make any guarantees about payout figures in this guide. To get a more personalised idea of what your potential claim could be worth, talk to our advisory team for a free assessment today.
We pride ourselves
on providing the best service
possible for our clients.
We pride ourselves on providing the best service possible for our clients.
I’ve Been Bitten By A Dog, How Can I Start My Claim?
To start your claim for dog bite compensation, you can get a free eligibility assessment from our dedicated advisors. If eligible, you will be connected with one of our expert solicitors. A key aspect of any personal injury claim is gathering evidence, something a solicitor can support you with.
Evidence that could be used in a dog bite claim includes:
- Medical records. Any dog bite no matter how minor needs immediate attention due to the high risk of infection. Records such as examination notes, the results of tests and copies of scans can all be used to show what injuries were sustained.
- It is vitally important to get details from the person responsible from the dog. Be sure you have their contact information.
- If the police attend the scene, you can acquire a copy of their report.
- CCTV footage of the incident taking place.
- You can also photograph your injuries and the dog that bit you.
How Can I Claim If A Dog Has Bitten My Child?
While your child cannot claim for themselves while under the age of 18, you could be appointed as their litigation friend and make decisions about the claims process on their behalf.
In most cases, there is a 3 year limit on starting personal injury claims as per the Limitation Act 1980. However, in cases involving children, the time limit is not counted from the date the incident took place but from the day they turn 18.
Litigation friends may also be appointed in cases where the injured person does not possess sufficient mental capacity to claim for themselves. The 3 year time limit does not apply in these cases.
Learn more about the time limits by talking to our advisory team today.
Who Is Responsible For Paying My Compensation?
Dog bite compensation is paid by the owner’s insurance. This is why it’s very important to get contact details from the owner or dog walker if bitten by a dog.
What If The Owner Doesn’t Have Insurance?
In certain cases where the dog is not insured, a claim could be made through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). The CICA is a government funded exectuive agency that gives victims of violent crime a means of seeking compensation.
In order to make a criminal injury claim, you would need to show that the dog was used as a weapon by another person, that is to say, set on you deliberately. Our advisors can provide further information on claiming criminal injury compensation.
What If I Do Not Know The Owner Of The Dog That Bit Me?
If a dog has gotten loose from a garden or is out of control in a public area, identifying the responsible person can be challenging. It is a legal requirement that all dogs in the UK are microchipped so once the dog has been brought back under control, the chip can be scanned and the owner found.
If the police attend the incident, then they can track down the owner and take relevant action.
To find out more about making a dog bite compensation claim, speak to our advisors today.
Can I Make A No Win No Fee Dog Bite Compensation Claim?
Claiming dog bite compensation on a No Win No Fee basis is the way to go. What this means is you are protected from solicitor fees unless the claim is won. There are many different types of No Win Fee contract, the one offered by our solicitors is called a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
Claiming under a CFA means you will benefit from:
- Not paying any fees at the start of the claim for your solicitor’s services,
- Nor paying fees for the solicitor’s work during the claims process itself and,
- Finally, if the claim is unsuccessful, there will be no fees to pay for the work your solicitor has done on the claim.
Should you win your claim, you will receive personal injury compensation. A percentage of this will be taken as the solicitor’s success fee. Legal caps limit this percentage. This ensures that you keep most of your compensation.
Contact Us
To access further guidance, or to get a free eligibility assessment, contact our team today using the contact details given here:
- Call us on 0151 375 9916.
- You can also contact us online by completing our callback form.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dog Bite Claims
With national legislation, local authority bylaws and differing policies between businesses, understanding dog safety rules can be tricky. We’ve included this FAQ to address some of these points.
Is It Worth Making A Dog Bite Compensation Claim?
You have nothing to lose in checking your eligibility to claim compensation. Even minor injuries could be compensated and our No Win No Fee contract protects you from solicitor fees unless you win. So, it is definitely worth finding out if you could make a claim if you have been injured by an out of control dog.
Do I Need To Report A Dog Bite?
Yes. It is a criminal offence to own certain breeds without an exemption. It is also an offence to have a dangerously out of control dog. Reporting the incident will ensure you receive prompt medical attention, and enable the dog to be contained and owner identified.
Will The Dog That Bit Me Be Put Down?
Not necessarily. Whether or not a dog that bites a person is euthanised depends entirely on the individual circumstances of each case.
Will An Owner Be Prosecuted If Their Dog Bites Someone?
It is against the law to have a dangerously out of control dog. What charges are brought against the person responsible for the dog will vary between cases.
Can I Still Claim If I Approached The Dog First?
While caution should always be exercised when approaching an unknown dog, the person responsible for the animal is still required to keep it under control. If you approached the dog first, it shouldn’t affect your ability to claim unless you deliberately antagonised the dog. You can contact our advisors for a free eligibility check.
More Information
You can view some of our other personal injury claims guides here:
- Find out who could be eligible to claim knee injury compensation with this guide.
- Read our guide on motorbike accident claims here.
- Learn the eligibility criteria to make a gym accident claim with one of our dedicated No Win No Fee solicitors.
We have also provided links to some external pages that you may find useful:
- Read the NHS guidance on cuts and grazes on their website.
- You may entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if your injuries keep you off work. Find out more with this government resource.
- You can learn more about the dog laws in the UK with this resource from Blue Cross.
Thank you for reading our guide to claiming dog bite compensation. You can ask further questions, and get your eligibility assessed for free by talking to our advisors today.
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