You work as a package delivery driver. You’ve been very busy as of late, and you tend to jog from your truck to the homes where you make the deliveries.
As you run up to one house, a dog becomes agitated, probably because you’re running and it sees you as a threat. You reach over the fence to set the package down, and the dog bites your hand.
You decide that you want to sue the property owner for compensation. However, they point out that they have “Beware of Dog” signs up on their property. They claim that they warned you, you did not do enough to heed that warning, and so it’s your fault. Is that true? Do you really have no case?
The sign could be a tacit admission by the owner that the dog is dangerous
Legally, these signs can be more complicated than you’d assume. Yes, there are those that argue that the warning sign puts the responsibility on the person who reads the sign, not the owner.
On the other hand, though, you can also argue that the sign meant that the owner knew that the dog was dangerous. Maybe it’s always mean to new people. Maybe it has a vicious history. Regardless, there is a reason that the owner thought it necessary to put up the signs. Does this mean that they also knew that their dog was a risk and would probably injure someone? And, if they did know, why didn’t they do more to keep the dog away from you?
Get some help to better understand your right to compensation
Injuries from dog bites can be very serious. The above is just one example of how they may occur. If you were bitten by a dog, you need to know if you have a right to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages and other losses.
