Stuart Dog Bite Injury Lawyers
Florida sees hundreds of dog bites every year, and the U.S. Postal Service recorded 193 dog attacks on postal employees in Florida during 2023. Dog bites do not stay contained to a single moment either, since medical care, time away from work, and insurance pressure soon follow.
Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC represents dog bite victims in Stuart and across Martin County, and nearly 100 years of Florida personal injury work gives the firm the experience to anticipate insurance defenses and press for high-dollar results in serious dog bite cases. Call (772) 283-6839 to talk with the Stuart office at 27 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, FL 34994, or use the contact form to request a free consultation.
A Dog Bite Can Become More Serious After the First Visit
A dog bite can look manageable during the first medical visit, then require more attention as complications surface or recovery takes longer than expected. A bite to the hand can affect grip and dexterity. A bite to the face can raise cosmetic and nerve concerns. A bite to the leg can interfere with walking, driving, or standing at work.
Insurance companies still treat most dog bite cases like a transaction, so the documentation created during the first few weeks can affect settlement value. Medical notes, work restrictions, photos taken over time, and the animal control report can support a strong demand, and gaps or inconsistencies can give an adjuster room to cut the number down.
Our dog bite lawyers counteract this by gathering the full treatment history, lining up work documentation, and controlling insurance communications so the adjuster can’t downplay the injury or discount follow-up care.
Priorities After a Dog Bite
Medical Care and Follow-Up
Medical care comes first, and follow-up appointments protect health while documenting wound changes, infection concerns, nerve symptoms, and scar development. Antibiotics, wound checks, stitches, and referral visits can all become part of the record that ties treatment to the bite.
Reporting and Records
A report to animal control creates an independent record outside an insurance conversation. A report number also helps later when the dog owner disputes facts or when vaccination status becomes a question.
Photos and Practical Documentation
Photos taken during healing can document scarring and changes that short medical notes may not describe in detail. Clothing damage, an open gate, a broken latch, or a loose leash can also help explain how the dog reached you.
Insurance Calls
Adjusters may push for details and fast decisions before you’ve had time to get your footing. Share only the basic facts, then talk with one of our dog bite lawyers before you give a statement, answer detailed questions, or sign anything.
Florida Dog Bite Law
Florida Statute § 767.04 covers dog bite liability. The statute places responsibility on a dog owner when a bite happens in a public place or when lawful presence exists on private property, and prior bite history does not control owner responsibility under the statute.
A dog owner may raise defenses tied to provocation, unlawful presence, or warning signage. Florida Statute § 767.04 also addresses “Bad Dog” signs and keeps owner responsibility in place for bites to children under age 6.
Chapter 767 also includes dangerous dog provisions, including § 767.12 and § 767.13, which can become relevant when prior reports exist or when animal control records show repeated problems tied to the dog.
Our dog bite team knows Florida’s dog bite laws inside and out and uses them to pressure the insurance company, cut through defenses, and pursue the strongest recovery the facts support.
The Issues That Decide Fault and Money
Inconsistent details give the insurance company room to argue, so the report, photos, and medical notes need to match on timing, location, and symptoms across follow-up care.
Lawful Presence and Location Details
Lawful presence on private property can depend on why you were there, where the bite happened, and how the dog reached you. Delivery records, text messages, doorbell camera footage, and witness accounts can support lawful presence and clarify location details.
Provocation Arguments
Provocation arguments usually start with claims that you reached toward the dog, startled it, or a child “played too rough.” Witness statements, scene details, and medical documentation that matches the injury can help efforts to push back.
Warning Sign Arguments
A “Bad Dog” sign issue can depend on placement and visibility, along with the path of travel that led to the bite. Photos of entrances, gates, and posted signage can support the facts.
Injury Type and Compensation
Dog bites can sometimes cause more than puncture wounds. Deep lacerations, nerve damage, tendon injury, infection complications, and permanent scarring can all change settlement value.
Scarring and Disfigurement
Scars on visible areas can carry greater impact because daily life exposes those areas in public, at work, and in social settings. Medical notes about scar treatment, referrals, and permanence can support compensation tied to appearance and duration. Photos taken over time can document whether a wound healed cleanly or left visible scarring, and that documentation can help justify compensation tied to permanence and appearance.
Nerve Symptoms and Loss of Function
Victims can experience numbness, tingling, weakness, and loss of range of motion after the wound closes. Therapy notes and specialist notes can connect functional limits to the bite and document the effect on daily tasks.
Psychological Harm
Dog bites can trigger sleep disruption, anxiety around dogs, and fear in settings that used to feel routine. Our team can refer to any counseling records and provider notes can support compensation tied to emotional harm.
Where Money Comes From in a Dog Bite Insurance Claim
Homeowners insurance or renters insurance usually provides the primary coverage for a dog bite. Umbrella coverage can add limits above the base policy when it exists. Coverage disputes can arise when a household member owns the dog but does not appear on the policy, or when a bite happens at a rental property and the property owner points at the tenant.
A dog bite attorney can identify all available coverage, confirm limits, and review exclusions the insurance company may use to deny coverage or reduce payment.
Insurance Company Tactics in Dog Bite Claims
Insurance company tactics usually focus on one outcome, lowering the payout.
Recorded Statements
A recorded statement gives the adjuster language that can get reused later, and small wording choices can get framed as provocation or shared fault. Communication control keeps the discussion tied to confirmed facts and documentation.
Quick Settlement Pressure
Initial offers can arrive before follow-up care shows the full picture of scarring, complications, or future care needs, and a signed release can cut off the right to ask for more later.
“Healed Fine” Arguments
A gap in follow-up care can get framed as proof that the bite resolved, even when symptoms changed later or scar issues developed over time. Missed appointments can also get used to argue that pain ended.
Social Media and Activity Surveillance
Social media posts can be interpreted as proof that the injury did not limit you, even when pain and scar care stayed present off camera. Screenshots can also outlast deleted posts.
How Compensation Works in Stuart Dog Bite Cases
Compensation ties back to proof. Medical records, work documentation, and scar evidence support the number requested.
Medical Costs and Future Care
Emergency care, urgent care visits, antibiotics, imaging, surgical repair, wound revision, scar treatment, and therapy can all become part of damages. Future care becomes part of value when a provider recommends additional procedures or continued treatment, and written recommendations carry more weight than verbal plans.
Income Loss and Work Limits
Income loss can come from missed time and from restrictions that limit hours or job duties. Our lawyers will refer to pay stubs to put a number on what you lost and get documentation from your doctor that ties the loss to a specific restriction, like no lifting, no driving, or reduced hours.
Pain and Daily Disruption
Pain and daily limits gain strength when treatment notes describe limitations and symptoms across follow-up visits. Counseling records can also document emotional strain tied to the bite.
Factors That Influence Settlement Value
- Injury severity and medical complications.
- Detail and consistency in medical documentation.
- Insurance coverage limits and policy structure.
- Fault arguments and supporting evidence strength.
Other Florida Laws That Can Affect Recovery
Time Limits for Injury Cases
Florida’s personal injury statute of limitations specifies deadlines for injury cases, and filing outside the deadline can block recovery. Evidence also becomes harder to secure as time passes, since surveillance footage may get overwritten, witnesses move or forget details, and medical timelines grow less precise.
Action step: preserve evidence right away, confirm the filing deadline with counsel, and avoid waiting until treatment ends before speaking with an attorney.
Modified Comparative Fault
Florida uses a modified comparative negligence system, so recovery can decrease when a percentage of fault gets assigned to the injured person, and recovery may be barred when fault crosses a statutory threshold. Insurance companies use provocation arguments and location details to push fault percentages higher.
Action step: gather witness accounts, keep consistent medical documentation, and avoid informal statements that can get reframed as shared responsibility.
Working With Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC in Stuart
A dog bite case needs organized documentation and pressure applied in the right places. The Florida dog bite lawyers in our Stuart office starts with core facts, then builds the record in a way that supports negotiation.
Information That Helps During the First Call
- Bite date and location.
- Dog owner name and contact information.
- Animal control report number, if available.
- Medical care received so far.
- Photos of injuries and the bite location.
Next Steps After the Initial Call
Record requests, coverage review, photo guidance for scar progression, and witness outreach can become part of the plan, depending on the facts.
Insurance Communication
Insurance carriers may request a recorded statement, authorizations, or additional photos. Our dog bite team can manage those requests and keep the case anchored to documentation rather than informal conversations.
Fee Terms
A contingency fee means attorney fees come out of recovery rather than an upfront payment, and costs get explained at the start.
Find Out if You Have a Case
A dog bite that leads to medical treatment, time off work, or scarring deserves a serious response from the person who failed to keep control of the dog and the insurance company backing them. Lesser, Landy, Smith & Siegel, PLLC has the experience to press for accountability and pursue high-dollar results when injuries justify the demand.
Call (772) 283-6839 or use the contact form to schedule a free consultation with the Stuart office at 27 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart, FL 34994.
