Baltimore To Strengthen Dog-Bite Laws

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014 By Joel DuBoff

If you lived in Maryland in 2007, you likely remember hearing about Dominic Solesky on the news. The 10-year-old was playing hide and seek with a fiend behind his parent’s row house when he heard his friend yell, so he ran to find the boy. What he found instead was a neighbor’s pit bull that jumped over a fence and attacked.

Solesky told reporters at the time that the bite on his friend’s leg was so deep that he could hear his blood splashing out of his body. The dog had severed the boy’s femoral artery before attacking his face and upper body. By all accounts, Sloesky is lucky to be alive. Doctors performed two surgeries, and he remained in the hospital for more than two weeks.

Solesky’s Dog Bite Launched A Statewide Conversation On Pitt Bulls

After the attack, the boy’s parents took action, eventually getting the Court of Appeals to make a ruling that owners of pit bulls are liable for dog attacks regardless of the circumstances. The controversial law caused many landlords to rethink their pet policies and some owners to take their pit bulls to the shelter.

If you’ve been attacked by a dog in Maryland and you’re ready to stand up for your rights, we’ll stand with you. At Duboff & Associates, we help our clients seek compensation for their injuries through civil lawsuits. To speak with aBaltimore personal-injury lawyer about your injuries, call 443-912-0002.

Legislators Are Revisiting The Issue, Hoping To Expand Scope Of The Liability

The ruling, which was made in 2012, is at the heart of a new bill in the Maryland legislature. The Washington Postreports that the bill would make any dog owner liable for dog bites, regardless of the breed. Although lawmakers claim that they are rebalancing the rights of pet owners, landlords and victims, critics counter that the bill actually allows owners to escape liability.

The bill includes a section that permits pet owners to avoid liability by proving their dog wasn’t violent before the attack occurred. The measure could actually make it more difficult for victims to recover compensation for their injuries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States records more than 4.5 million dog bites every year. Although many of those bites don’t require medical attention, about 855,000 people visit hospitals each year for treatment related to a dog-bite injury.

Sadly, more than half of all dog-bite victims are children. If your child has been bitten by a dog, we can help you seek justice through a personal-injury lawsuit.

We specialize in working with tough insurance companies to get you the compensation you deserve. If you aren’t sure whether or not your case is worth pursuing, call us at 443-912-0002 to schedule a free initial consultation.

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