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A dog attack can leave a child with lasting physical and emotional harm. Serious wounds may require ongoing treatment, while scarring or trauma can continue to affect the child over time. If your family is dealing with dog bite injuries to a child in Memphis, understanding who may be responsible is important to protecting your child’s future.
A seasoned dog bite attorney could investigate how the attack happened and determine who had control of the dog. The owner’s knowledge of the animal’s behavior may also affect the claim. At Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi, we assess the circumstances and the full impact of the injuries before determining how a claim should proceed.
Tennessee Code Annotated § 44-8-413 requires dog owners to exercise reasonable control over their animals and keep them from running loose. When an uncontrolled dog injures a person in a public place or someone lawfully on another person’s private property, the owner can be liable even without proof that the dog previously displayed dangerous behavior.
When a dog bite injures a child in Memphis, the location of the attack can substantially affect liability. If the injury occurs on residential or other qualifying noncommercial property where the dog owner owns the property or is there lawfully, the injured person generally must establish that the owner knew or should have known about the dog’s dangerous propensities. Prior aggressive conduct, warnings from others, or the owner’s methods of restraining the animal may therefore become important evidence.
Children can face consequences that are difficult to measure immediately after an attack. Facial wounds and other visible injuries may require follow-up treatment as a child grows, particularly when a dog bite results in lasting scarring. For families in Memphis, assessing those future effects early can provide a more complete picture of the care the child may need and the overall impact of the dog bite injury.
A claim should account for documented medical expenses and other losses attributable to the injury. Depending on the facts, damages can also reflect pain, permanent impairment, disfigurement, and emotional harm. Our lawyers could examine medical records and the anticipated course of treatment so that a demand does not focus only on expenses incurred during the first days following the attack.
The state generally imposes a one-year limitations period for personal injury actions under Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-3-104. Dog bite claims brought under the state’s dog liability statute use that personal injury limitations period. A shorter filing window makes early evidence preservation especially valuable because photographs, witness information, animal-control records, and information about the dog’s history can become harder to obtain as time passes.
Different timing rules apply when the injured person is a minor. Tenn. Code Ann. § 28-1-106 generally tolls the applicable limitations period while a person entitled to bring an action is under 18.
Even when additional time may be available, families in Memphis should not delay in pursuing a child’s dog bite injury case. Investigating promptly can preserve stronger evidence and provide a clearer understanding of the insurance coverage and parties involved.
Several factors can shape the legal issues involved in dog bite injuries to a child in Memphis. The location of the attack can affect liability, while the owner’s knowledge of the dog’s behavior may also matter. The child’s long-term prognosis can influence the compensation available for lasting harm.
Gatti, Keltner, Bienvenu & Montesi could review the circumstances of the attack and determine what evidence may establish responsibility. We could also assess the losses connected to your child’s injuries. Contact us to discuss your child’s dog bite claim and the legal options available to your family.
(901) 526-2126