Who Is Liable When an Unleashed Dog Bites Someone in Illinois?

 Posted on April 25,2024 in Dog Bite Injuries

An unsupervised and unleashed dog can pose a serious risk to its surroundings. Even a generally tame and disciplined dog can present a threat. If, for example, it runs over to a dog that does not get along well with other dogs and they begin to fight, that other dog and people around could be injured. For another example, a well-behaved and well-meaning dog could walk over to someone with a serious phobia of dogs who could accidentally run into oncoming traffic to avoid the dog. Of course, if the dog is not tame and left to wander freely, this could pose a risk to people around as well. Dog bites can sometimes require immediate and serious medical attention and can result in a timely and expensive recovery process. If you were bitten by an unleashed dog, speak with a DuPage County, IL dog bite lawyer to formulate a plan for your compensation.

Illinois Laws About Unleashed Dogs

In the state of Illinois, a dog owner - or someone else who was in charge of the dog at the time - can be held responsible if the dog bites someone and injures them. There are some situations where this might not be as clear-cut if, for example, the victim was trespassing on private property at the time of the biting attack. If they were somewhere they had the full legal authority to be at the time of the bite and did not do anything to provoke the dog, they likely have valid claims to seek compensation for any resulting damages.

In cases where a dog was roaming around without a leash, liability generally falls on whoever was supposed to have control over the dog at the time, whether that is the dog’s owner, a dog walker, a dog sitter, or anyone else.

In general, if a dog escapes from its yard and is roaming free when it attacks someone, the owner who was supposed to have kept the dog in the safe environment of his own home can be found liable. If another person took the dog on a walk and let it off its leash in a park, and that is when the dog bit someone, the person who had been with the dog at the time of the incident would probably be found liable instead of the dog owner. Since liability in an unleashed dog bite incident depends on the specific scenario, it is best to hire a lawyer who has experience with this type of case to ask the right questions and get to the bottom of it.

Schedule a Free Consultation with an Illinois Dog Bite Lawyer

If you or a loved one were injured from an unleashed dog bite, let an experienced Kane County, IL dog bite attorney help you understand who should be held responsible and get you the compensation you deserve. Call Dog Bite Injury Lawyer - Mevorah Law Offices LLC at 630-552-6860 to schedule a free consultation.