- If the animal acted in a vicious way or from an internal excitement that is contrary to the nature of that animal.
- Negligence by the owner of a tamed animal
If you have been bitten by a dog or any other animal you can claim compensation for your hospital and or treatment expenses actually incurred, as well as those likely to be incurred in future.
Often an untrained dog or out of control dog causes injury or harm to you or one of your family and there may be a claim for compensation against the owner of the animal. You will, however need to prove that the owner has been negligent so that if this is your case then contact us your Dog Bite lawyer Cape Town immediately on 087 550 3858 for a free no obligation consultation at a time of your convenience.
The first thing to do and therefore very important for you is to identify the owner of the animal and to be able to put in writing the sequence of events and exactly what happened.
If you have been bitten by a dog or any other animal you can claim compensation for your hospital and or treatment expenses actually incurred, as well as those likely to be incurred in future.
For you to claim compensation for a dog bite injury, it is a more complex matter than you might imagine and often a significant amount of time and energy needs to be put into a claim for compensation as you will need to prove the following;
- The identity of the animal that caused the injury or harm
- If the attack happened on private property then what is known as a “Pauparian” action applies to the claim. A “Pauparian” action means that even if the owner is not proved to be negligent, you can still claim compensation on the basis that the animal acted contrary to the nature of its breed or species. The onus is then put firmly on the owner of the animal to prove that his dog was either provoked or was defending itself when the attack occurred.
- Whether or not the owner of the animal has either the means to pay the compensation or not or has adequate insurance to pay any award of compensation.
- The ownership of the animal involved
