SOUTH CAROLINA DOG BITE LAW IN ROCK HILL
As personal injury attorneys in Rock Hill, South Carolina, we have handled many cases involving dog bites. While dogs are classified as property, it is your responsibility to keep your property from harming someone else. If you own a dog or are taking care of a dog for someone else, you are responsible for the dog and any damages that result if the dog bites someone, provided that the injured party did not provoke the dog to attack.
In this article, we will discuss South Carolina’s dog bite law and areas of compensation for your injuries if bitten.
WHAT IS SOUTH CAROLINA’S DOG BITE LAW?
Under South Carolina law, a dog’s owner or handler is liable for a dog attack:
(A) If a person is bitten or otherwise attacked by a dog while the person is in a public place or is lawfully in a private place, including the property of the dog owner or person having the dog in the person’s care or keeping, the dog owner or person having the dog in the person’s care or keeping is liable for the damages suffered by the person bitten or otherwise attacked. For the purposes of this section, a person bitten or otherwise attacked is lawfully in a private place, including the property of the dog owner or person having the dog in the person’s care or keeping, when the person bitten or otherwise attacked is on the property in the performance of a duty imposed upon the person by the laws of this State, the ordinances of a political subdivision of this State, the laws of the United States of America including, but not limited to, postal regulations, or when the person bitten or otherwise attacked is on the property upon the invitation, express or implied, of the property owner or a lawful tenant or resident of the property.
In South Carolina, the owner of a dog that bites you is strictly liable under the law as long as you were either in a public place or lawfully on private property, including the dog owners’ property. To learn more about South Carolina’s trespassing laws, please refer to our blog on Premises Liability.
Bear in mind that the statute of limitations for a dog bite personal injury claim is three (3) years.
FOR WHAT CAN I BE COMPENSATED IF BITTEN BY A DOG IN SOUTH CAROLINA?
The dog bite victim is entitled to compensation for losses and damages and may include a wide variety of harms suffered by the victim.
Damages include:
- medical costs
- expenses of transportation for medical reasons
- future medical costs for operations or the cosmetic treatment of scars
- loss of past income
- loss of future income
- defensive measures such as putting up a fence
- loss of the value of a home because of the proximity of the dangerous dogs
- counseling expenses
- clothing
Being a victim of a dog attack is traumatic and dog owners have the responsibility of keeping the public from harm. If you are the victim of a dog bite, contact our experienced dog bite attorneys at the Lewis Law Firm. Let us get the compensation you deserve.