Slaughter & Lupton Law
Your Dog Bite Injury Advocates
Every year, nearly 5 million people fall victim to dog bites.
Among the most common victims of dog bites, children are more likely to be seriously injured.
Dog bite injury cases can be very difficult. Often the injuries are vivid and graphic; injuries range from torn flesh, permanent scarring, loss of sensation or mobility, to permanent nerve damage, loss of limb, permanent disfigurement, indefinite disability, and even death. Liability and insurance coverages can be more complicated and difficult. Both Virginia and North Carolina have different statutes and cases governing the liability of animal owners for injuries caused by dogs.
Furthermore, many cities and some counties have local ordinances such as “leash laws” that can have a big impact on establishing liability. Slaughter and Lupton have significant experience litigating and settling dog bite cases in the Hampton Roads, Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina regions. Our team knows from the first call the necessary steps to take to obtain documentation of the injury, investigate the dog’s history, obtain photographic evidence, and nail down the liability and damages as soon as possible.
Here for you when you need it most.
Slaughter & Lupton Law, PLLC is proud to service the following Virginia and North Carolina cities:
Virginia Areas We Serve
- Virginia Beach - To ensure easy access to our services, we have an office on Virginia Beach Blvd. near Newtown Road. Our Virginia Beach office is within 400 feet of the Norfolk city line and is centrally located near the Interstate 64/Interstate 264 interchange.
- Chesapeake
- Newport News
- Norfolk
- Suffolk
- Williamsburg
- Portsmouth
North Carolina Areas We Serve
- Edenton - Located within walking distance of Edenton's Historic District and less than 10 minutes off of Highway 17.
- Elizabeth City
- Greenville
- The Outer Banks
- The Inner Banks
- Currituck
- Ahoskie
Our firm is technologically proficient with comprehensive case management information systems in place to handle many transactions and documents electronically including signing and paralegals who are Virginia and North Carolina e-notaries.
Virginia Beach Location
Edenton Location
Understanding Dog Bites: Why Do They Occur?
Dog bites can stem from various causes, including fear or other behavioral patterns by the attacking animal, territorial protection, or unintentional encouragement, antagonization, or reinforcement of hostile behavior by owners.
A dog bite can be a very traumatic event, inflicting severe injuries. While some attacks are unforeseeable, our experienced dog bite lawyers can conduct thorough investigations to unearth critical evidence that might otherwise be lost.
What to Do If You Become a Victim of a Dog Attack
Unfortunately, dog attacks can happen.
To successfully make an injury case on your behalf, it's important to know the identity and owner of the dog that bit you and know where the attack took place. It's important to gather as much information as possible about the dog and its owner. It is very important to a successful recovery in a dog attack case to know the name of the dog owner’s homeowners insurance company or renters insurance company!
If there are injuries, it is very helpful to have medical documentation, and photographs, of the injuries. If you choose to retain Slaughter & Lupton Law, PLLC, we may involve a forensic expert to assist in the investigation based on the information you provide.
What Compensation Can I Expect as a Dog Bite Victim?
If you have experienced a dog bite in Hampton Roads, Virginia or Northeastern North Carolina, it's important to know that your recoverable damages are determined by a number of factors. These factors could include medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering. These damages may include future medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and permanent scarring or disfigurement. These damages may even include the costs of future procedures such as plastic surgery to attempt to repair the scarring or disfigurement or psychological counseling for post traumatic stress or anxiety resulting from the attack. In some cases, depending on the facts of the case, punitive damages might be recoverable.
Slaughter and Lupton have decades of successful litigation experience representing clients injured by dogs or other animals in Hampton Roads, Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina. We are adept at anticipating and destroying potential defenses that we may expect to be raised by insurance companies.
Contact Us Today
We're here to help you!
If you have been attacked by a dog or other animal, we understand that it can be an overwhelming experience. Our experienced legal team at Slaughter & Lupton Law, PLLC is available to provide expert guidance and support throughout the process.
Don't hesitate to reach out to schedule your free initial consultation.
External Links:
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Dog bite prevention. (n.d.). American Veterinary Medical Association. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/dog-bite-prevention#:~:text=More%20than%204.5%20million%20people,of%20those%20bitten%20are%20children.