DOG BITES

DOG BITES IN WISCONSIN

Wisconsin places the burden on the injured person of being responsible for “contributory negligence.”

Wisconsin has adopted the law of “strict liability” for dog bites – and it’s not as straightforward as it seems. Like other accidents, the law of Comparative Negligence applies – in other words, how did each party contribute to the accident? Furthermore, the law only holds those persons of a certain class responsible for the bite. Determining and proving that the “owner” or “keeper” is actually a responsible person is sometimes a daunting task, one that may require extensive investigation and the filing of an action. Some dog owners refuse to provide the name of their liability insurance company because they believe that such a claim will disqualify them from future “home owner’s liability” coverage. As a result, a lawsuit may be the only remedy.

In addition to dog bites, we’ve also handled claims for horses and cows who were negligently allowed on the highway. The challenge there is to prove they were on the road out of carelessness and not the result of an “Act of God”. We have been very successful in these cases because of our experience with horses and taking care of other animals in our own personal backgrounds. It helps when you know what you are talking about.