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Dog Bite Attorney in Des Moines
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When a dog owner fails to appropriately restrain and control their animal, anyone can become a dog bite victim. When you encounter an aggressive or angry dog, whether in public or on someone’s private property, the results can be catastrophic.
You may be just walking through your neighborhood in Des Moines, doing your job, or visiting someone’s home when you are attacked by a dangerous dog, leading to life-changing injuries.
The damage from a dog bite lasts long beyond the initial wounds. It’s common for victims to face infections, scarring, nerve damage, and even disfigurement. Anyone can suffer psychological damage from this kind of trauma, but children, in particular, often carry trauma that affects them for years.
Meanwhile, you are also facing piling medical bills, missed work, and difficult negotiations with the dog owner or their insurance company. There is no reason why you should have to handle this on your own. When you choose to work with a dog attack attorney in Des Moines, Iowa, you can let someone else take on the burden of recovering compensation on your behalf so that you can focus on healing.
Dog owners are required by law to control their animals. It doesn’t matter whether or not the dog has ever shown signs of aggression; from the very first bite, dog owners are liable for injuries caused by their animal.
In Des Moines, dog bites are unfortunately all too common. They occur in parks, rural areas, public streets, people’s homes and yards, and even in businesses. These accidents are nearly always preventable, but they happen because dog owners ignore warning signs, fail to follow leash laws, lose control of their aggressive animals, or leave their property unsecured.
Even though it may be obvious to you that the owner was responsible, you can expect the owner and their insurer to try to avoid responsibility. They may do this by claiming you provoked the animal, or that your injuries were minor.
Working with a dog bite lawyer in Des Moines means bringing someone onto your team who understands these tactics and knows how to counter them. At Lowe Law Group, our personal injury lawyers know how to protect your rights after a dog attack in Des Moines.
Schedule a free case evaluation with an animal attack lawyer in Des Moines today.
When Dog Owners Fail: How Dog Attacks Happen in Des Moines
Dog attacks in Des Moines follow a number of predictable patterns. Human negligence plays a major role. These are some of the common factors among many of these attacks.
Attacks on Private Property
Often, dog bites occur when someone visits another person’s home or property. This isn’t just about being a guest in someone’s home; dog bites also happen to contractors, technicians, and other legally authorized visitors.
Dog owners may not take previous signs of aggression seriously, like growling or snapping at people. Other times, dog owners simply don’t take precautions when someone visits their property because they assume their dog is completely safe to be around.
Any dog can become aggressive or reactive under the right conditions. Without safety measures like a leash, dog fence, or even a muzzle, an uncontrolled dog can become a serious threat. Depending on the unique circumstances of every attack, a Des Moines dog bite attorney can determine who bears the legal liability for preventing the attack.
Leash Law Violations
Although the state of Iowa does not have a leash law that governs the entire state, each city sets its own rules.
The laws in Des Moines are clear:
If the dog is on the owner's property it must be restrained by an adequate protective fence or by leash, cord, chain or other similar restraint or the pet must be always within the actual physical presence of and immediately obedient to the commands of the owner or person given charge of the dog and at no time be more than six feet from such person.
If the dog is off the owner's premises it must be on a leash, cord, or chain or other similar restraint not more than six feet in length and under the control of a person competent to restrain and control the dog.
Failing to comply with these leash laws can be an indicator of negligent behavior.
Attacks on Postal Workers and Delivery Drivers
Some Des Moines employees face heightened risk because of their work responsibilities. Mail carriers, delivery drivers, home service professionals, and utility workers encounter dogs on private property all the time. If an owner fails to secure their dog or dogs before one of these workers arrives, or if they ignore repeated warnings from the workers, then they may be held responsible for creating dangerous conditions.
Children Attacked While Playing
Tragically, children are especially vulnerable to dog attacks in Des Moines. The effects of a dog attack can be devastating, causing lifelong injuries and trauma.
Even if children have been taught to be careful around dogs, it is difficult for them to recognize the warning signs of an aggressive animal. Because kids move quickly and in unpredictable ways, their movements can cause an animal to try to protect itself. A dog that hasn’t been socialized around children or one that has shown food aggression, territorial behavior, or other forms of aggression should never be unsupervised around kids.
Inadequate Containment
A dog that is improperly contained on its owner’s property can get loose and attack someone who is just going about their day. If a property owner fails to maintain fences, gates, leashes, and doors, that can be a premises liability issue.
The Damage Dog Bites Cause: Injuries We Handle
Dogs have strong jaws that can cause traumatic injuries to any part of the body. Because a dog’s mouth is full of germs, it’s also common for a dog bite to cause an infection that can become serious.
Some of the immediate physical injuries we see after a dog attack include:
- Deep puncture wounds
- Lacerations
- Crushing injuries
- Nerve damage
- Tendon and ligament tears
- Facial injuries
- Eye damage
- Skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries (particularly in children)
Secondary medical complications may include:
- Bacterial infections (including sepsis, which can be life-threatening)
- Rabies exposure
- Scarring and disfigurement (requiring reconstructive surgery)
- Limited range of motion
- Permanent disability
- Chronic pain from nerve damage
Psychological trauma is also a reality after these attacks, leading to:
- PTSD
- Anxiety and phobias around dogs or public spaces
- Sleep disturbances and nightmares
- Depression stemming from disfigurement or lifestyle changes
Lastly, additional complications can arise, including:
- Ongoing reconstructive surgeries
- Permanent scarring
- Loss of limb function
- Career limitations
- Ongoing mental health treatment
At Lowe Law Group, we have a full-time medical director on staff. Dr. Andrew Georgi assesses the full scope of your injuries, including any complications that may not be immediately apparent. Dr. Georgi can help you anticipate what you will face in your recovery, and his expertise contributes directly to the way that we build your claim.
What are Iowa’s Laws for Dog Attacks?
Iowa law holds owners accountable for what their dogs do. Because the state does not have a “one bite” law that allows dog owners to avoid responsibility if it’s their animal’s first attack, victims can get compensation even if the dog has never shown aggression before.
Negligence claims also apply, especially if a dog owner’s carelessness led to the attack. For example, someone who blatantly disregards leash laws or completely fails to secure an aggressive animal may be considered more responsible than someone whose dog simply behaves unpredictably one day.
Premises liability also comes into play, if property conditions contributed to the injuries you received during the attack.
What Kind of Compensation is Available After a Des Moines Dog Attack?
If your life has been changed by a dog attack in Des Moines, you may be eligible for compensation for your injuries and losses.
Medical Expenses
First of all, you are entitled to compensation for the money you have spent (and will continue to spend) on medical expenses. Common medical expenses that you can receive compensation for include:
- Emergency room treatment and hospitalization
- Surgery costs, including anesthesia
- Wound care and infection treatment
- Rabies prophylaxis treatment
- Plastic surgery and any reconstructive procedures
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Prescription medications and medical supplies
- Psychological counseling and mental health treatment
- Future medical care and surgeries
Lost Wages and Income
Next, if your injuries prevented you from being able to work for any amount of time, or if you had to leave your job or career, you can likely recover the following:
- Wages lost following your injuries
- Sick leave and vacation time used during your recovery
- Reduced earning capacity if you can’t return to your previous work at the same level
- Lost business opportunities for self-employed individuals
- Loss of future earnings if injuries are permanent
Non-economic damages
Some losses don’t have a dollar figure attached, but they are still important to calculate into your compensation negotiations. These non-economic values include:
- Physical pain and discomfort from the attack and subsequent treatment
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Post-traumatic stress and anxiety
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of consortium (impact on your relationship with your spouse or partner)
- Property damage (torn clothing, broken glasses, or other damaged personal items)
- Cost of household services you can no longer perform
- Home modifications if permanent disabilities require accessibility changes
Des Moines Dog Bite FAQs
What should I do right after a dog bite in Des Moines?
Get medical care first, even if the wound looks minor, because dog bites carry a real risk of infection and usually need professional cleaning. Iowa law also requires that animal bites be reported, so notify the City of Des Moines animal care unit and let them create an official record.
While the details are fresh, photograph your injuries, write down the owner’s name along with their contact and insurance information, and collect names and numbers from anyone who saw the attack. Try to hold off on talking to any insurance company until you have spoken with a dog bite attorney.
Do I have to prove the dog had bitten someone before?
You do not have to prove any of that. Iowa is a strict liability state for dog bites under Iowa Code § 351.28, which means you do not need to show that the dog had a history of aggression or that the owner knew it might bite; if the dog injured you, the owner is generally responsible for the damages.
There are limited exceptions, though. An owner may not be liable if the injured person was trespassing or committing another unlawful act that directly led to the bite, or in certain cases involving a rabid dog. An attorney can confirm how the law applies to what happened to you.
How long do I have to file a dog bite claim in Iowa?
You have two years from the date of the bite to file, under Iowa’s personal injury statute of limitations. That may sound like plenty of time, but evidence can disappear over time. If there were eyewitnesses to the attack, their memory will fade over time. Reaching out to an attorney early keeps your options open and lets you focus on healing.
What if I was bitten while doing my job?
You may have two separate paths to compensation. Workers bitten on the clock, such as mail carriers, delivery drivers, and home health aides, can often file a workers’ compensation claim through their employer and a separate injury claim against the dog’s owner. Each one follows its own rules and covers different losses, and pursuing both can matter when your injuries are serious. An attorney can review your situation and tell you which claims make sense.
What is my dog bite claim worth?
There is no set figure for how much a dog attack is worth, in terms of compensation, because every attack is unique. The value turns on how serious your injuries are, whether you are left with scarring or disfigurement, your medical costs, time missed from work, any future treatment you will need, and the emotional toll the attack has taken. During a free consultation, we can walk through the specifics and give you a realistic sense of what your claim may be worth.
Will the dog be put down if I bring a claim?
Bringing a civil claim is about recovering money for what you went through, and it does not decide the dog’s fate. Whether an animal is quarantined, declared dangerous, or removed is handled by animal control and local authorities under public safety rules, entirely apart from your injury case. Plenty of clients worry about this, and it is a fair thing to ask, but the two matters move on separate tracks.
Schedule a Free Consultation with the Lowe Law Group
If you or your child were attacked in Des Moines, you deserve compensation for your losses, including medical expenses, lost income, scarring, pain, trauma, and suffering. You shouldn’t have to negotiate with the dog owner or their insurance company on your own, especially because you don’t have a professional level of knowledge of Iowa’s dog bite laws.
When you work with Lowe Law Group, we step in to fight for your rights. Whether that means negotiating with the insurance company or taking your case all the way to the courtroom, we are here to alleviate your suffering and let you focus on your recovery.
This consultation is free. There’s no obligation, and we’ll let you know exactly what you can expect from your case
Contact Us Today
You’ve already suffered because of someone else’s negligence when it comes to dog ownership. Don’t let the owner or insurer make you fight for what you are owed. Let us handle the legal battle while you focus on getting better.
Focus on Recovery While We Win Your Case
Your priority now is to heal. Ours is to win your case. Here’s our 3-Step Approach:
1
Let us listen to your story. We’ll provide a free, no pressure case evaluation.
2
Our team handles everything: the legal process, gathering paperwork, reviewing your medical treatment, and more.
3
We win your case and maximize your compensation or we don’t get paid, guaranteed.
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