Most people who call us after a dog bite have never hired a lawyer before. They aren’t sure what happens after the first phone call, how long things take, or what they’ll be asked to do. That uncertainty can make it harder to pick up the phone at all. So instead of a list of legal rules, this page tells you what working with us actually looks like, one stage at a time, for people bitten on Beach 116th Street, along the boardwalk, or anywhere else in Rockaway Park.
Stage 1: Your First Call
You call 718.775.3110 or fill out our online contact form. Someone from our office will ask a few simple questions: where and when it happened, how badly you were hurt, whether you know who owns the dog. There’s no charge for this, and there’s no obligation. If you’d rather not talk on the phone, a short message through the form works just as well, and we’ll reply the same way. We can talk in English, Russian or Spanish.
If you’re still in pain or in the hospital, just tell us. We’ll schedule the next conversation around your recovery, not our calendar.
Stage 2: The Free Consultation
Next, you sit down with a Rockaway Park dog bite lawyer from our team. That can be at your home, at your hospital bedside, over video, or at our office. We’ll listen to the whole story, look at any photos you have, and tell you plainly whether we think you have a claim and why.
A key question is whether the owner knew, or should have known, the dog was dangerous. New York courts call this “vicious propensities,” and the rule comes from a 2004 Court of Appeals case, Collier v. Zambito. We’ll ask whether the dog had bitten or snapped at anyone before, whether it lunged or jumped on people, whether there was a “Beware of Dog” sign, or whether neighbors had complained. You don’t need to know the answers. That’s our job to find out.
If we take your case, you pay nothing up front. Our fee comes only from what we recover, and if there’s no recovery, you owe us no fee.
Stage 3: We Take the Weight Off
Once you hire us, we let the dog owner’s insurance company know you have a lawyer. From then on, adjusters talk to us instead of you. That matters, because an adjuster may ask you for a recorded statement early on, and you have every right to say no until you’ve spoken with a lawyer.
In most cases, the claim is paid by the owner’s homeowners or renters insurance, not by the owner personally. A lot of our clients feel relieved to hear that, especially when the dog belongs to someone they know. Our article on who pays after a dog attack in Queens goes into more detail.
Stage 4: Gathering the Evidence
While you focus on getting better, we build the case. Depending on what happened, that can include:
- Talking with people who saw the attack, or who’ve had trouble with the dog before
- Photographing the spot, whether it’s a sidewalk near the Rockaway Park shuttle station, a building entrance, or a stretch of Rockaway Beach Boulevard
- Getting the NYC Health bite report
- Collecting your medical records and bills
- Checking for earlier complaints to landlords, building managers or the city
If the dog had already been legally declared dangerous, the owner is strictly liable for the medical costs under Agriculture & Markets Law § 123. If the dog lived in a rental, we’ll look at whether the landlord knew about it and could have had it removed. A business can also be responsible for a dangerous dog kept on its property.
Stage 5: Keeping Track of Your Recovery
We stay in touch as you heal. Your recovery shapes the value of your claim, so we won’t rush to settle before we understand your injuries. Some bites heal in weeks. Others lead to infection, nerve damage, fractures from a fall, or scars that may need plastic surgery later on. Children, in particular, can struggle with fear and nightmares long after the wound closes.
Keep going to your appointments and hold onto every receipt. It also helps to photograph your wounds as they heal. We’ll gather the rest.
Stage 6: The Demand and Negotiation
When we have a clear picture, we put together a demand to the insurance company. It lays out what happened, why the owner is responsible, and what you’ve lost. That can include medical bills, future care like scar revision, lost wages, pain and suffering, and disfigurement.
The insurer will respond, often with a lower number. Sometimes they’ll argue you share the blame. New York uses pure comparative fault, which means your compensation can be reduced by your share, but it isn’t taken away. There’s more on this in our guide to shared fault in New York. We’ll explain every offer, give you our view, and the decision to accept or not is always yours.
Stage 7: If a Lawsuit Is Needed
Many cases settle without a trial. When an insurer won’t be fair, we file a lawsuit. In New York, you generally have three years from the bite to do that under CPLR § 214. For children, that clock is generally paused until age 18 under CPLR § 208. If city property or public housing is involved, a notice of claim is usually due within 90 days, which is why we like to hear from people early.
A lawsuit adds steps like exchanging documents and testimony under oath. We prepare you for each one, and we keep pushing for settlement along the way. If it goes to trial, we’ll be beside you.
Stage 8: Getting Paid
When a case resolves, we handle the paperwork, settle any bills that must be paid from the recovery, take our agreed fee, and send the rest to you. We walk you through the final numbers line by line so nothing is a surprise. If you have questions months later, you can still call us. We don’t disappear once the case is closed.
What You Can Do Before You Call
You don’t need to have everything ready. If you can, get medical care, find out who owns the dog and whether its rabies shots are current, report the bite to NYC Health within 24 hours, and take pictures of your injuries and the place it happened. Jot down names of anyone who saw it.
Neighbors Down the Boardwalk
We work with people all along the peninsula. If the bite happened just outside Rockaway Park, you might find our page for a dog bite lawyer in Belle Harbor, a dog bite lawyer in Rockaway Beach, or a dog bite lawyer in Breezy Point helpful. Our dog bite practice page and the Queens accident lawyer page cover our wider work.
Ready When You Are
We’re a Rosedale firm that has recovered more than $80 million for hurt New Yorkers. Talking with a Rockaway Park dog bite lawyer costs you nothing, and you can decide afterward whether to move forward. You’ll find our office at 1 Cross Island Plaza, Suite 325, Rosedale, NY 11422. The map below shows how to get there from Rockaway Park, though we’re glad to come to you instead.
Attorney Advertising. We wrote this page to give general information about how a dog bite case can move forward. It isn’t legal advice, and every case is different.