Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, represents Louisville residents seriously hurt in dog bite incidents. Our Kentucky lawyers aggressively seek financial support for victims who suffer wounds on ankles and feet, including broken bones and nerve damage, due to the negligence of a dog owner. Contact a dog bite lawyer to schedule a free consultation and find out what you should demand for your injuries. It’s an easy way to determine the best way to hold a dog owner and an insurance company responsible.
Foot Dog Bite Dangers in Louisville
If you are chased by an aggressive dog, you may be relying on your feet to escape. Unfortunately, your feet, toes, and ankles may be the closest body part an attacking dog has access to, and a painful bite may result.
You could be walking at Waterfront Park when a dog that has too much slack on a leash is able to reach you and clamp onto your ankle. You may be walking up your front steps when a dog that’s allowed to roam the neighborhood bites you through your shoe.
These types of attacks can leave you with broken bones and nerve damage, and it may be a while before you can walk any distance again. Fortunately, in Kentucky, the dog owner is usually under a legal responsibility to assist dog bite victims with their recovery costs.
Unfortunately, the pet owner’s homeowner’s insurance providers may work harder to deny blame instead of working to help you. A skilled Louisville dog bite lawyer helps you fight back and earn the money you need to get back on your feet again.
Common Ankle and Foot Injuries After a Dog Bite
Dog bite victims can suffer all sorts of bone and soft tissue damage under the power of a dog’s bite force. Infection is also a danger due to all of the bacteria contained in a dog’s mouth.
When a dog targets the victim’s foot, there are 26 individual bones that could be fractured. As you may have discovered with any previous foot injury, a small issue with even a minor bone can leave your foot too painful to walk on. A dog bite may break a metatarsal bone in the middle of the foot or any other surrounding bone.
The ankle is an important joint that helps give people the ability to walk. The joint is actually made up of the two lower leg bones, the tibia and fibula, and the ankle bone, or talus bone. The ligaments and cartilage that help hold this joint together and allow the joint to move smoothly can be damaged by a dog’s teeth. This can leave victims immobile and susceptible to other health ailments while in recovery. They may have to rely on medical equipment like crutches, a scooter, or a wheelchair to get around.
The outlook will depend on which bone is broken and how well each end of the broken pieces heal together. A fracture may take six weeks to heal, but it could be six months before victims are walking normally without pain again. The Mayo Clinic reports that an orthopedic surgeon will sometimes have to install pins, plates, or screws to maintain the proper position of your bones during healing. This complication can prolong recovery and lead to lifelong difficulties.
These are just some of the risks dog bite patients will face after suffering a dog bite on the foot:
- Broken and severed toes
- Broken foot bones
- Broken bones in the ankle joint
- Puncture Wounds
- Amputation
- Nerve Damage
- Ligament Damage
- Tendon Damage
- Blood Vessel Damage
- Blood Loss
- Infection Including Rabies and Tetanus
For more information on other common injuries that dog bites cause, check out the Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, Dog Injury Page.
Who Is Responsible for Dog Bites in Kentucky?
Kentucky follows the legal concept of “strict liability.” In some states, the dog owner isn’t held liable for a bite unless the dog has bitten before or has been labeled a dangerous dog. However, under Kentucky’s strict liability rule, owners are legally accountable, even if the dog has never shown aggression before.
Dog owners must show a “duty of care” to protect others from the possibility of a bite. They must restrain their dogs and control them so they aren’t given unwanted access to others.
Dog owners are held liable for most bites, but victims could be assigned some blame if they were shown to have been trespassing at the time of the incident. They could also share in the responsibility if they provoked the dog in some way.
Your lawyer will be investigating your dog bite accident and the dog owner. Your lawyer collects all evidence and then submits a claim on your behalf asking for the maximum in compensation available.
Victims should receive support for these and other hardships, all covered in a dog bite settlement check:
- All medical bills past, present, and future.
- The hardships that come along with a permanent disability.
- The physical pain experienced
- The emotional trauma left behind
- Lost income while patients must miss work
Contact a Louisville Dog Bite Lawyer
Dog bite victims in Kentucky have only one year to file an injury claim. It’s best to act as quickly as possible to make sure you receive help with your recovery costs before you hit serious financial issues.
Contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC for an absolutely free consultation on your case. It’s a no-stress way to determine who you should hold responsible for your foot and ankle wounds and how much compensation you should demand. If you decide our Louisville dog bite lawyers can help you get the most out of your dog bite accident claim, you won’t need any money now. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement you and your family are awarded.
