PERSONAL INJURY — SLIP & FALL
What You Need to Know About Dog Bite and Animal Attack Accidents
An attack can happen in an instant: a walk around the block, a neighbor's backyard, a delivery route, an afternoon at the dog park. Some encounters end with a scare and a scraped knee. Others leave puncture wounds, nerve damage, infection, permanent scarring, and medical bills that keep arriving long after the stitches come out.
Why This Matters
You Should Not Have to Fight Alone While You're Still Healing
If another person's dog or animal attacked you because its owner failed to control it, you may be entitled to compensation. Since 1994, W. Thomas Yi & Associates has helped injured people across the D.C. metropolitan region recover for what an attack took from them: physically, emotionally, and financially.
Consultations are always free, and we can speak with you in the language you're most comfortable in.
Right After an Attack
What to Do After a Dog Bite or Animal Attack
WHEN TO CALL A LAWYER
Signs It's Time to Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
You needed medical treatment for bite wounds, punctures, or other injuries from the attack.
You've lost income or can't return to work while you recover.
An insurance company — the owner's homeowner's or renter's carrier, or your own — has already contacted you.
The animal had a history of aggression, the owner ignored leash or containment laws, or a landlord or property manager knew about the danger and did nothing.
You may need ongoing care down the road, such as scar revision, reconstructive surgery, physical therapy, or counseling for anxiety and PTSD.
You've been blamed for provoking the animal or for being somewhere you had every right to be.
Someone you love died as a result of an animal attack caused by an owner's negligence.
You have no idea what your injury claim is actually worth.
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Other Responsible Parties
It Is Not Always Just the Dog's Owner
The owner is usually the primary responsible party, but not always the only one.
Landlords & Property Managers
Generally not responsible for an attack inside a tenant's private space. But when a bite happens in a shared hallway, lobby, or courtyard, and the landlord knew about a dangerous animal and did nothing, they may share responsibility.
Keepers, Sitters & Walkers
Someone who was not the legal owner but had care and control of the animal at the time, such as a dog walker or sitter, may also be liable for what happened.
Businesses & Employers
If the dog was on commercial premises or connected to a business, that business's insurance policy may come into play as well.
Photos of your injuries and the scene, taken as soon as possible.
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The owner's identity and insurance information, plus witness contacts.
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Medical records documenting your injuries
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Animal control and police reports establishing date, time, and circumstances.
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Witness accounts from neighbors, bystanders, or delivery drivers who saw it happen.
The Evidence That Proves a Claim
Strong claims are built on proof gathered quickly. The sooner our team is involved, the sooner we can begin preserving evidence.
building your case
What You May Recover
Damages You May Be Able to Recover
Children are the most frequent victims of serious dog attacks. Bites to the face and hands can require additional surgeries and counseling as a child grows, and those effects belong in any honest valuation of a claim.
WHY THESE CASES MATTER
A Dog Bite Case Involves Far More Than Medical Bills
In the hours after an attack, the focus is on stopping the bleeding — cleaning the wound, getting to an emergency room, starting antibiotics or a rabies series. But the consequences rarely stop there. Bite injuries often require reconstructive surgery, leave permanent scarring, or cause nerve damage that lingers long after the wound closes. Many victims, especially children, carry a lasting fear of dogs that changes how they move through their own neighborhood. You may be out of work, facing months of follow-up treatment, or trying to rebuild a life that suddenly looks different than it did befor
Frequently Asked Questions
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It depends on where it happened. In Maryland, no; the law presumes the owner should have known the dog was dangerous, and if it was loose, the owner is strictly liable. In Virginia and D.C., prior knowledge is one path, but a leash law violation or a loose dog can support a claim even with no history of aggression.
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This is a common defense, and since all three jurisdictions follow contributory negligence, it's a serious one. But these arguments are frequently overstated. Accidental contact, self defense, or simply being lawfully present is not provocation or trespass. A thorough investigation is how we push back.
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Report it to animal control right away so they can try to locate the animal and check vaccination records. Even if the owner is never identified, you may still have options through other insurance coverage. Talk to us so we can explore them.
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No. A civil claim for your injuries is separate from animal control decisions. Whether an animal is impounded is up to animal control, based on the dog's behavior and history, not on your claim.
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Not necessarily, but delay can complicate proof. Report to animal control and get medical care as soon as possible, then reach out to us. The filing deadline is two years in Virginia and three years in Maryland and D.C., but the practical window to gather evidence is much shorter.
You don’t need to have everything figured out
You don't need to know whether you have a case before calling. You only need to know that you were bitten and have questions. We'll listen to what happened, ask focused questions about the attack, and help you understand whether W. Thomas Yi & Associates can help you recover.
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