In Alabama , the standard rule of negligence dominates the dog bite statutes. However there are a few exceptions to the rule that include trespassing, contributory negligence, and secondary liability. Both the victim and the dog owner should hire an attorney to protect their separate rights in theses cases.

Alabama ’s dog bite attorneys assist the victim in not only recovering damages, but in proving fault for the bite. First, the lawyer must prove that the owner violated the standard rule of negligence. He must answer the question: did the owner have prior knowledge as to the dangerous potential of the dog? Did the owner take measures to protect the public from the dog if it was dangerous? Evidence can be information on the dog’s breed, and also any precautions that the owner took to warn about the dog’s disposition. This includes “beware of dog” signs, fencing, etc. Proving owner negligence is essential to the plaintiff’s case. After owner liability is proven, and then the victim can proceed in recovering damages.

The owner’s attorney may try to build a case for contributory negligence. This requires evidence of the victim’s negligence in the incident. The attorney will use anything that may show that the victim provoked the dog or trespassed onto the owner’s property (and thereby into the territory that the dog feels the need to protect). A victim who is chased onto the property, however, is not liable for the injury. Alabama ’s statutes a victim found to be even partially negligent in the incident, he is liable for the entire incident. The victim must, then, prove that the owner was the only cause of the incident.

The owner isn’t the only person that could be liable in a dog bite case. A landlord who know of a dangerous animal’s presence on a property, and then he has a responsibility to protect other tenants from that danger. In one case, a landlord who posted “Beware of dog” signs on one of his properties was held liable when another tenant on the same property was bitten by the dog. The victim must first prove that the landlord knew of the dog’s tendencies toward biting. This is often very difficult.

Alabama ’s dog bite laws differ slightly from those found in other parts of the country. This is why both the victim and the dog’s owner should hire an attorney who is well versed in the Alabama state dog bite laws.

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