The Maryland state Senate recently passed a bill that would create a “strict liability” system for dog bite injuries, according to a report from ABC 2 News. The bill now has to go to the state House for consideration.
If passed, the new law will allow people bitten by dogs to hold the dog’s owner accountable for the bite, even if the dog has never bitten or shown aggressive tendencies before. While dog bites rarely kill people in the U.S., dog bites can cause severe pain, scarring, infections, and mental and emotional trauma. Several hundred thousand Americans are treated for dog bite injuries each year. Treatment may require stitches, skin grafts, antibiotic treatments, and other medical procedures. Unfortunately, most dog bite injury victims are children.
The bill was presented in response to a recent Maryland Court of Appeals decision that applied a strict liability law to dog bites caused by pit bulls. In the bill, strict liability applies not only to pit bull bites but to bites from any type of dog. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that any breed of dog can bite and cause serious harm and the danger from dog bites is not limited to pit bulls.
Dog bites may cause permanent physical and mental harm. If you or someone you love has been bitten by a dog, you have certain legal rights. Call one of Alpert Schreyer Injury Accident Lawyers’s Calvert County dog bite injury lawyers today to learn more about your legal rights. Our number is 301-381-2655.