Dog Bite Claims & Compensation

This primarily depends on whether you were in control of the dog (i.e. its keeper) at the time of the attack. The Animals (Scotland) Act 1987 contains provisions to ensure that the owner of a dog is found responsible in the event of a bite or an attack by a dog. The act works on a strict liability basis. This means that you are not required to prove that the keeper of the dog was negligent. The keeper can be found liable even when the dog has never been agressive before.

It is important to understand that if you were the “keeper” of the dog at the time of the attack, then you may not be able to make a claim.

As specialist injury lawyers, Jackson Boyd will be able to advise you whether you are in a position to claim for compensation. If you are unsure whether you can make a claim, please contact us directly to discuss.

It is impossible to answer this question at the outset of a claim, as it is dependent on so many inter-linked factors, including the severity of your injury (and whether they have long-lasting impacts) and the nature of the losses you have suffered (including medical costs and lost earnings – both past and future). This is one of the reasons why you should consult with a firm of specialist personal injury lawyers such as Jackson Boyd.

Once we have made an initial assessment of your case, we will be able to give you a rough indication of what we would expect to achieve. See our article, ‘More Than Just Personal Injury’ which provides full details on the losses you can claim for.

It is important to gather as much information as possible. In the first instance (if possible) take photos of the place where the injury occurred, the dog and your injuries, get witness details, and obtain details of the owner of the dog and whether they are insured, and if so by whom. Depending on the circumstances you may also wish to report the incident to the police. If you have visited a doctor to get treatment, make a note of who your visited and when.

If you ask us to take up your case, we will gather additional evidence from a variety of sources, including the doctor(s) who have treated you (if you needed medical attention).

Yes. If you ask us to take up your case, we will arrange a consultation with an independent medical expert (even if you are no longer experiencing any symptoms from your dog-bite injury), who will examine you, look at your medical records and provide us with a medical report which will form the basis of our valuation of your injuries.

The journey of a dog bite injury claim can appear complex and daunting, but Jackson Boyd will be with you every step of the way. Call us and our First Response team will talk with you and assess how best to deal with your case. We will then collect all the evidence and medical details that we need to put together our case and value your claim.

Once we have obtained all of the relevant evidence we will then seek a settlement offer. In a small number of cases (it may be necessary to go to court, where we will represent you. For full details see our article on The Journey of Your Personal Injury Claim.

In an ideal world, your dog-bite claim would be resolved within weeks but, unfortunately, the reality is the length of time it takes for claims to conclude can range from months to years. The timings will depend on the complexity of the case and the severity of your injuries. Particularly in cases where injuries are serious, it is important to take the time to collect all necessary information and to establish the true value of the claim. However, long it takes, we will be with you every step of the way.

For all personal injury work, we provide a no-win, no-fee service, which is exactly as it says – if your claim is successful our fee is 20% plus VAT of your settlement figure; however, if your claim is not successful we do not charge a fee.

In most cases, dog-bite claims can be settled without the need to go to court. However, there are a number of circumstances in which claims do proceed to court. These include when the liability of the accident or the cause of the injuries are being disputed or if the third party does not make an adequate compensation offer. If you have to go to court we will represent you and provide you with all the support and advice you will need.

The normal time limit for bringing a claim for an injury caused by a dog attack is three years after the time you sustained the injury. In some circumstances, this time limit may be extended.

As specialist injury lawyers, we have in-depth experience and knowledge of all aspects of the law relating to dog-bite injury claims. Unlike most ‘general’ law firms, we have the expertise to know whether it is worth pursuing a claim and exactly what information needs to be gathered. We also know how best to value a claim and how to gain fair and just compensation for our clients.

Our expertise in this field is shown by the fact that we are recognised in the Legal 500 rankings and that we have an excellent score in Trust Pilot.

At Jackson Boyd, we also know that rehabilitation is a crucial part of your personal injury claim. We are able to arrange your rehabilitation treatment with our own treatment providers, meaning that you can be seen immediately. You can find out more about rehabilitation in your personal injury claim here.