A Ruff Situation
Not every dog is man’s best friend. Our client, a hard-working freight truck driver, made what he thought would be a routine delivery to a business on his route. Out of the blue, as he was making the delivery, the business owner’s dog attacked and viciously bit him on the wrist. His injuries were very serious. The dog bite crushed the nerves in his wrist, which required orthopedic surgery to repair.
Who Is Liable
The defendant, the business owner, even though he admitted expecting the delivery, argued that he was immune from liability under Rhode island’s dog bite statute. He swore under oath that he had no reason to believe that his dog would ever attack anyone.
A Turn Of Events
I thoroughly investigated whether the dog had any prior history of attacking anyone. I succeeded in tracking down a police report that showed the same dog at the same business address had previously bitten someone. By doing my due diligence, I was able to destroy the defendant’s credibility and establish definitive evidence to rebut any argument about liability.
A Happy Ending
The result of this smoking gun, and the defendant’s prior knowledge of the dog’s propensity towards attacking, prompted a settlement for my client in the amount of 73,000 dollars.