Dog Bite Lawyer Glendale

People who contact our office after a dog attack in Glendale tend to ask the same core questions, usually in roughly the same order. This page answers them one at a time. Glendale’s row houses sit close together, and the western edge of Forest Park is a short walk from most blocks, so dog walking is part of daily life here. That also means encounters between strangers and unfamiliar dogs happen constantly on Myrtle Avenue, on Cooper Avenue, and along the park trails. When one of those encounters ends in a bite, the answers below are where a careful analysis begins.

Questions Glendale residents ask after a dog bite

1. Is the owner automatically responsible because their dog bit me?

Not automatically. New York does not impose blanket liability on every owner whose dog bites someone. Under the rule the Court of Appeals set out in Collier v. Zambito (2004), the injured person generally must show that the owner knew, or should have known, that the dog had “vicious propensities.” The phrase sounds dramatic, but in practice it covers a broad range of prior behavior, as the next answer explains.

2. What counts as proof that the owner knew the dog was dangerous?

Courts look at the dog’s history and the owner’s conduct. Relevant evidence includes a prior bite; earlier growling, snapping or lunging at people; a tendency to jump on visitors; a “Beware of Dog” sign; keeping the dog chained or muzzled; and complaints from neighbors or others. On blocks of attached homes, where neighbors see and hear one another’s animals daily, witnesses to earlier incidents are often closer than victims assume. Identifying them early is one of the first tasks in any investigation, because memories fade and people move away over the months a claim can take.

3. Does it matter if the dog was already declared “dangerous”?

Yes, significantly. When a dog has been found dangerous under Agriculture & Markets Law § 123, its owner is strictly liable for the medical costs that the dog’s attacks cause. Strict liability means those costs do not depend on proving what the owner knew. Other categories of loss, such as pain and suffering, still generally follow the knowledge-based rule described above.

Dog bite attorney for Glendale: two dogs fighting on grass with their jaws open — A documented fight with another dog can become part of the animal’s history in a later claim.

4. Could someone other than the owner be responsible?

Potentially. A landlord may be liable where it knew of the dog’s vicious propensities and had the power to have the animal removed. A property owner or business can also bear responsibility for a dangerous dog kept on its premises, including a guard dog. If the attack happened in a store or at a commercial property near The Shops at Atlas Park, for example, the business’s knowledge and control of the animal would be examined. Premises-based claims overlap with the principles on our premises liability page.

5. Who pays the settlement or verdict?

In most cases, the owner’s homeowners or renters insurance policy. Many Glendale victims hesitate because the owner is a neighbor. The reality is that the insurer, not the neighbor personally, usually funds the claim. Be aware that the insurer’s adjuster works for the insurer. You may decline to give a recorded statement until you have consulted a lawyer, and doing so is often prudent. Note also that no-fault automobile coverage does not apply to dog bites.

6. What if the owner says I provoked the dog or ignored its warning?

New York applies pure comparative fault. If a jury found that you bore some share of responsibility, your compensation would be reduced by that percentage. It would not be eliminated. Allegations of provocation are common and should be tested against the evidence, including witness accounts and the leash rules set out in the city’s Be a Responsible Dog Owner guide, which calls for a leash of six feet or less in public.

Finding our office from Glendale

Yakov Mushiyev & Associates is located at 1 Cross Island Plaza, Suite 325, Rosedale, NY 11422. The embedded map charts the driving route from Glendale to the office.

Questions about injuries, deadlines and damages

7. What kinds of injuries do these claims involve?

The range is wider than most people expect. Common injuries include puncture wounds and lacerations; infections; nerve or tendon damage, particularly in the hands; fractures, often from being knocked to the pavement; and scarring that may later require plastic surgery. When the dog’s rabies vaccination cannot be confirmed, the victim may need a course of rabies shots. Emotional trauma, particularly in children, is also a recognized harm.

Patient being treated by medical staff, illustrating care arranged by a Glendale dog bite injury lawyer — Prompt treatment protects your health and creates the medical record a claim relies on.

8. What compensation can a claim include?

Recoverable losses can include past and future medical bills, the anticipated cost of scar revision, lost wages, pain and suffering, and disfigurement. The value of any particular case depends on the injury, the evidence of the owner’s knowledge, and any comparative fault argument. No responsible attorney can predict a number at the outset. What a lawyer can do early is make sure nothing is left off the list, such as the follow-up visits, the therapy a frightened child may need, or the time a parent took off work to attend appointments.

9. How long do I have to bring a claim?

Generally three years from the date of the bite, under CPLR § 214. For a child, CPLR § 208 generally pauses the limitations period until the child turns 18. A much shorter rule applies when a city agency or public authority is involved: General Municipal Law § 50-e usually requires a notice of claim within 90 days.

10. What should I do in the first few days?

Obtain medical care. Find out who owns the dog and whether its rabies shots are up to date. Make sure NYC Health receives a bite report within 24 hours. Photograph the wounds, and continue photographing them as they heal; also photograph torn clothing and the location. Collect names and numbers from witnesses. Keep every bill, receipt and record. Then speak with counsel before responding to the insurer.

11. Why hire a Glendale dog bite lawyer instead of handling it myself?

Because the decisive issue, the owner’s prior knowledge, usually turns on evidence the insurer has no incentive to help you find. A dog bite lawyer in Glendale can locate neighbors and records, measure the full cost of your injuries, and negotiate from a position of documented facts. Clients of this office have recovered upwards of $80 million in total. Consultations are free, and our fee is contingent: you owe nothing unless we win. Our team speaks English, Russian and Spanish and will meet you at home, in the hospital or by video.