In many premises liability instances, an injury occurs on the property of a friend or a loved one, mainly because these are generally the circumstances in which you will find yourself on someone else’s property. A pleasant lunch meeting may end in tragedy, however, if an accident suddenly occurred that caused you an injury. If that injury could have been avoided, then the property owner may be liable for your injuries, and you could be compensated at their expense.
One such way in which you could suffer an unexpected injury would be if you are bitten by an animal. If the friend has a pet, and that pet bites you, you could file a premises liability lawsuit to be compensated for your injuries. The important thing in such a case, however, is to prove that the property owner should have known or reasonably expected that the animal would bite and taken steps to warn you or prevent the injury from occurring.
The unfortunate thing about suffering an injury on a friend’s property is that you may be hesitant to file a claim. After all, nobody wants to cause financial harm to their friend by filing a lawsuit against them. It may help you to learn, then, that it is usually not the property owner who pays for such an injury.
In most instances, when an animal is on someone’s property and bites another person, the owner’s insurance will pay for the damages. This means that renter’s insurance, homeowner’s insurance, or car insurance will likely be handing out your compensation following a successful claim. If you live in Massachusetts and have been injured by a dog bite, consider consulting with an attorney to learn more about your rights.