Dog attack injuries can be as serious as any other accident

In their day-to-day lives, Oklahoma residents have to visit a number of places where people are accompanied by their dogs. This can be at parks and playgrounds, at the homes of family and friends, on a rented property or if the person is a postman, deliveryman or a repairman who has to deliver something to a dog owner’s property in an official capacity. Unfortunately, sometimes, a dog may turn violent and attack the visitor.

According to Oklahoma laws, a dog owner can be held liable for damages caused to a third person if the dog bites a person without provocation while that person is on private or public property. If the injured person was invited onto the private property for official duties, like repairs or deliveries, or that person was on public property such as a park or a sidewalk, that person has a legal right to be there. A dog owner is also liable for injuries to a tenant who has the right to be on the property.

Many people think that dog bites are minor injuries but the truth is that dog bites can have catastrophic effects on the victims — physically and emotionally. In fact, it is not uncommon for a dog bite victim to need plastic surgery or other medical procedure as a result of a dog bite. However, even with the surgery, the dog bite victim may still be disfigured, which can have a long-term emotional impact. Due to those factors, claims arising from dog bites are often more complicated than other personal injury cases.

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