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In Iowa, the dog bite statute gives a person who has been hurt by a dog standing, or the legal right to sue the dog owner for damages. More specifically, the law allows the injured party to recover damages from the dog owner (or his insurer) if the dog is caught in the action of worrying, maiming, or killing a domestic animal or the dog is attacking or attempting to bite a person. This general rule is subject to only two exceptions. You may not recover from the dog owner if you were doing an unlawful act that directly contributed to your injury or if the dog had hydrophobia (rabies) and the owner did not have reasonable grounds to know it and prevent the injury.
Thus, if you were hurt and those two exceptions do not apply to your case, then you have standing to sue and recover damages.
What If You’re Not the One Who Was Hurt?
In some limited situations, you may have the right to bring a lawsuit on someone else’s behalf even if you were not the one injured by the dog. The three most common examples of this type of situation are if…
- You are the parent or guardian of a minor child who was hurt by the dog.
- You are the legal guardian of an adult who was hurt by the dog.
- You are the representative of the estate of someone who was killed by the dog.
Whether you need to bring a dog bite lawsuit on behalf of someone who was hurt or for yourself, it is important to learn more about how a dog bite case works in Iowa and to take action.
You Have a Limited Time to Bring a Case
Accordingly, it is important to talk to an experienced lawyer as soon as possible about your rights and about how to protect them. To schedule your own free, confidential consultation, please start a live chat with us now or call us directly at 1-800-800-5678.
