What Compensation can I Receive if I am Scarred by Dog Bite?

Illinois law affords recovery to victims of many different varieties of dog attacks. See 510 ILCS 5/15. You don't have to get bitten to get compensation. You can get attacked, almost attacked, or injured in many other ways by a dog and still seek reimbursement under the Illinois Animal Control Act. Once you do get hurt, and once you do bring a case, then all the injuries and damages that resulted from the dog incident come into court. This means you can seek recovery for the scars, bruises, costs, suffering, life changes, lost wages, and other kinds of harm due to the dog's acts. Many Illinois dog attack victims ask us if they can also sue for mental suffering that occurred because of the incident. The answer to that is they generally your mental pain must be tied to some form of physical pain or injury in order to recover or at least some fear of physical pain or injury. See Martino v. Family Service, 445 N.E.2d 6 (1982); see also Allen v. Otis, 563 N.E.2d 826 (1990).

You need to sue the dog's owner or custodian to receive damages for an attack in Illinois. If you are injured in any way by a dog, then you might be able to obtain recovery assuming you meet the requirements of the Animal Control Act. To do that, you must establish that you were legally allowed to be where you were when attacked, didn't provoke the dog, and who the dog's owner or custodian is. Then, you must illustrate your damages to the jury or in settlement conference. This process is inherently fact-intensive and necessitates a thorough understanding of Illinois civil procedure. At this time, we caution victims to seek the guidance of experienced Illinois personal injury attorneys.