Tennessee Injury Lawyer BlogDog bites are among the most common personal injuries that can occur to any child or adult. You can never predict when a dog will attack you. Even the gentlest dogs can cause you harm. If you’ve suffered from a dog bite, the first thing you will want to do after seeking treatment is contact a personal injury lawyer. A dog bite may not only cause psychological trauma and permanent disfigurement, it can also cause death. Personal injury lawyers in Nashville, TN can help protect you from the disastrous effects of a dog bite by offering you legal assistance when filing a dog bite lawsuit. Below is a detailed overview of the Tennessee dog bite statute.
Strict Liability
In 2006, a 60 year Old woman named Dianna Acklen was killed by 3 dogs while taking her regular walk in a rural residential neighborhood. This prompted the Tennessee Legislature to pass the Dianna Acklen Act of 2007, which abolished the First Bite Rule. Under that law, a dog owner had been exempted from liability if their dog had never attacked or bitten anyone before. The Dianna Acklen Act, by contrast, established Strict Liability for certain dog bite injuries, regardless of whether or not the dog in question has displayed vicious tendencies before.
The new law obligates dog owners to keep their dog(s) under reasonable control and on a leash. In the event that a dog owner breaches this provision, they can be subjected to civil liability for the damages suffered by a victim, no matter if they are in a public place or on the private property of another.