Bitten by someone else’s dog in Davie?
Florida puts the responsibility on the owner, and Jacobson Injury Firm makes that stick.
Davie is built for animals. The town spreads across 35 square miles with more than 165 miles of trail, equestrian zoning on thousands of parcels, and acre lots where dogs live outdoors year-round. Tree Tops Park, Flamingo Gardens, and the trail network draw walkers, cyclists, and riders every day. All of it works beautifully until a loose dog comes off a property line or lunges on a shared path. Our dog bite lawyer in Davie, FL represents people bitten on trails, in yards, in parks, and at work. Call (561) 567-7163 for a free consultation.
Table of Contents
- Dog Bite Lawyer in Davie, FL
- Why Choose Jacobson Injury Firm for Dog Bite Claims
- Types of Dog Bite and Animal Attack Cases We Handle
- Florida’s Strict Liability Rule for Dog Bites
- The “Bad Dog” Sign and Shared Fault
- Damages in a Davie Dog Bite Claim
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact Jacobson Injury Firm
Dog Bite Lawyer in Davie, FL
Florida treats bite victims better than most states do. There is no free pass for a dog that has never bitten anyone before. The owner answers for it from the first incident, which removes the hardest obstacle these cases face elsewhere.
None of that makes the claim automatic. Homeowners’ insurers fight bite claims hard, and they arrive with two arguments ready: you provoked the dog, or you had no right to be there. A Davie dog attack attorney builds the file to shut both doors.
Why Choose Jacobson Injury Firm for Dog Bite Claims
Experience with Broward County Premises and Animal Claims
Bite claims run through homeowners and renters policies, and they turn on property control, notice, and exactly where the attack happened. Adam Jacobson has handled premises and animal injury claims across South Florida and holds bar admissions in Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Illinois. Working with an established personal injury firm in Davie means the property records and animal control history get pulled at the start, not after the insurer has framed the story.
Recoveries That Account for Scarring
Bite injuries leave marks. Facial scarring on a child reshapes a life in ways a medical bill never captures, and our firm has recovered millions of dollars for clients whose injuries carried that kind of permanence. We bring in plastic surgery estimates and future revision costs rather than settling on today’s numbers.
Representation at No Upfront Cost
Dog bite claims in Davie, FL run on a contingency fee agreement. No retainer. Our fee comes out of the recovery, and only from the recovery.
What Our Clients Say
“Highly recommend Jacobson Law Offices! Mr. Jacobson has been incredibly helpful, patient, and knowledgeable. He took the time to listen to our situation, explain our options clearly, and provide valuable guidance when we needed it.”
Fransheska J
More reviews sit on our testimonials page.
Types of Dog Bite and Animal Attack Cases We Handle
- Trail and park attacks: Davie’s trail system puts dogs, horses, cyclists, and walkers on the same ground. Off-leash dogs on shared paths cause bites and knockdown injuries.
- Attacks on private property: Guests, contractors, and neighbors bitten on someone’s land have claims as long as they were lawfully there, and the analysis overlaps with ordinary premises liability law.
- Bites to delivery and service workers: Postal carriers, delivery drivers, and meter readers come onto the property under a legal duty, which places them squarely inside the statute’s protection.
- Child victims: Children take bites to the face and neck because of their height. Florida gives children under six extra protection, and these claims deserve separate handling.
- Knockdown and chase injuries: A dog that never bites can still cause a fall or run a cyclist off the road. Those claims rest on ordinary negligence rather than the bite statute, and they support recovery for broken bones and brain injuries.
- Attacks by dogs already flagged as dangerous: A dog classified under Florida Statute § 767.12 carries registration, confinement, and notice requirements. A violation is strong evidence of owner negligence.
- Injuries to horses and pets: Florida Statute § 767.01 makes owners liable for damage their dogs do to livestock and other animals, which carries weight in a town with this much equestrian property.
Florida’s Strict Liability Rule for Dog Bites
Florida Statute § 767.04 anchors every bite claim in this state. An owner is liable for damages to anyone bitten in a public place, or lawfully in a private place, including the owner’s own property, regardless of the dog’s former viciousness or whether the owner knew about it.
Three things follow from that language:
- The dog’s history stops mattering. First bite, tenth bite, same outcome.
- Standing on the owner’s property does not sink your claim when you were invited, expressly or by implication, or there under a duty imposed by state or federal law.
- The remedy sits on top of anything else you have. A negligence count can run right alongside it.
Report the bite to Broward County Animal Care, whatever the owner asks you to do. That agency record becomes independent proof of the attack, the dog, and your injuries. Get rabies exposure assessed as well, and the Florida Department of Health explains what that involves.
The “Bad Dog” Sign and Shared Fault
The statute holds one real defense. An owner who displayed an easily readable sign in a prominent place on the premises reading “Bad Dog” escapes liability, with two exceptions written into the law. The sign gives no protection against a person under the age of six, and none where the owner’s own negligent act or omission proximately caused the injury.
Owners and insurers stretch this defense hard. A faded sign behind a hedge is not prominent. A sign reading something other than “Bad Dog” may not qualify at all. Arguments like these get won with photographs taken the same week, which is one more reason to document the scene before anything changes.
The statute also reduces the owner’s liability by the percentage of the bitten person’s negligence that proximately caused the incident, and Florida’s broader comparative negligence framework shapes the rest of the claim. Expect provocation to come up. Florida’s statute of limitations gives you two years to file under Florida Statute § 95.11, and the modified comparative fault rule in Florida Statute § 768.81 governs how a shared-blame finding cuts the award.
Damages in a Davie Dog Bite Claim
Economic damages cover emergency treatment, wound care, infection management, reconstructive surgery, and the revision procedures scarring frequently demands years later. Lost wages and diminished earning capacity belong in the claim too, and a severe mauling can cross into catastrophic injury territory where lifetime care drives the number.
Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, disfigurement, and the psychological aftermath. Bite victims develop lasting fear of dogs, and children develop it the worst. Insurance companies treat that harm as soft and unprovable. Documented treatment changes their position.
Most bite claims get paid by a homeowners or renters policy, and coverage limits shape the outcome more than any other single factor. Finding every applicable policy, a landlord’s included, is part of establishing liability.
Frequently Asked Questions
The owner is a friend. Do I have to sue them personally?
Rarely in practice. The claim goes to their homeowners insurer, which is exactly what the policy exists for.
The dog had never bitten anyone. Does that matter?
No. Florida’s statute applies regardless of the dog’s prior history or the owner’s knowledge of it.
I was bitten at work. Can I still bring a claim?
Yes. Workers’ compensation may cover part of it, and a separate claim against the dog’s owner can proceed alongside. Our case timelines page shows how the stages line up.
What if I do not know who owns the dog?
Animal control records, neighborhood canvassing, and property research usually identify the owner. Report the bite promptly to start that trail.
Contact Jacobson Injury Firm
Photograph everything now. Wounds before they close, the location, the dog if you can do it safely, and any sign the owner claims was posted. That record shapes the claim more than anything said later.
We offer free consultations and handle bite claims on contingency. Contact us to discuss what happened, or look through our practice areas and the areas we serve. If someone’s dog hurt you or your child, a dog bite attorney in Davie, FL can explain what Florida law entitles you to recover.
