El Paso Dog Bite Lawyer

If a family member, friend, neighbor, or stranger’s dog bit you, take the following steps right away to protect yourself:

Unlike most states, Texas does not have a statute regarding liability for a dog bite or attack. However, the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling in Marshall v. Ranne in 1974 established the “one-bite” rule for dog bite injury cases in Texas.

Under the one-bite rule, a dog owner is usually not liable for injuries their dog inflicts if the dog has never bitten anyone or acted aggressively in the past. However, if a dog has previously bitten someone or acted aggressively, its owner could be liable for any injuries the dog inflicts in a subsequent attack.

In other words, if a dog has previously bitten or attacked someone, its owner can be held civilly liable for failing to prevent future bites. Additionally, Texas dog owners can face criminal charges if they fail to properly restrain dogs that are known to be dangerous and those dogs injure or kill someone unprovoked.

Dog owners are not the only parties who could be liable for dog bite injuries in Texas. Any party responsible for harboring, handling, or controlling a dog may be liable if the dog causes bodily injury or death, whether via a bite or other harmful behavior. This means any of the following parties may be liable for a dog bite in El Paso:

The most common injuries from dog bites that our attorneys see in the cases we handle include:

In many cases, yes. If a property owner in Texas allows a dog on their premises and knows it is dangerous, they could be liable for resulting dog bite injuries. This is because property owners have a legal responsibility to keep their premises reasonably safe for visitors.

A plaintiff must demonstrate that a property owner was negligent or failed to take reasonable steps to restrain a dangerous dog or warn visitors of the potential hazard to hold them liable. In this case, a plaintiff could seek compensation for their losses by filing a claim with the appropriate homeowners’, renters’, or pet insurance policy. If these types of coverage are not available, a plaintiff may choose to file a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent property owner.

No two injuries are alike, so there is no standard timeline for a dog bite case. The length of time will vary considerably based on multiple factors, including:

Texas has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims, so you must file your personal injury lawsuit within two years from the date of the attack to preserve your right to collect compensation from the at-fault party.

Because Texas follows the one-bite rule, an injury victim must demonstrate that the owner of the dog that attacked them knew their dog was dangerous and failed to take reasonable steps to control it or prevent it from biting anyone. Depending on the circumstances, the following types of evidence can support a dog bite case: