How to Hold Someone Responsible for an Injury at a Florida Dog Park

Dog parks are designed to be a space of freedom and joy for pets and their owners, but they can also be the scene of serious injuries. A dog bite, an aggressive attack, or even a collision with a large off-leash animal can leave you with painful wounds, emotional distress, and medical bills you never expected. If you were hurt at a Florida dog park, you may have the right to seek compensation from the dog’s owner or even the property operator.

The first thing to do after any injury at a dog park is to get medical care right away. Dog bites and other injuries from animals can cause infections and complications that are not immediately visible, and your health comes first. After you are seen by a doctor, speaking with an Orlando dog bite lawyer can help you understand who may be held responsible and what a claim might look like in your situation.

Florida’s Dog Owner Liability Law

Florida applies a strict liability standard to dog owners in most bite cases. Under Chapter 767 of the Florida Statutes, dog owners are liable for damages their dogs cause to any person in a public place or lawfully in a private place, regardless of whether the dog had previously shown aggressive behavior. This means you generally do not have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous in order to pursue a claim.

There is an important exception: if the owner had posted a “Bad Dog” sign in a prominent place, liability may be reduced, unless the injured person was under the age of six or the owner’s own negligence contributed to the incident. Florida also applies comparative negligence, meaning that if your own actions contributed to provoking the dog or placing yourself at risk, any compensation you recover may be reduced proportionally.

Who May Be Liable When You Are Injured at a Dog Park

Liability at a dog park does not always stop with the dog’s owner. Depending on the circumstances, other parties may also be responsible. The owner of the property where the dog park is located may be liable under premises liability theory if the facility was poorly designed, improperly maintained, or lacked adequate fencing or warning signage. Our Orlando premises liability attorneys handle cases involving unsafe conditions on both public and private property.

Understanding which parties are responsible requires a thorough look at how the injury occurred, where the park is located, who owns and maintains it, and what warnings or rules were in place at the time. Our FAQ on who is at fault for a dog bite in Florida provides a helpful overview of how these determinations are made under Florida law.

Steps to Take After a Dog Park Injury

Acting quickly after an injury can make a significant difference in the strength of your claim. There are several things you should do.

• Seek medical care immediately, even if the bite or injury seems minor at first
• Identify the dog’s owner and get their name and contact information
• Report the incident to the dog park operator or property manager and request a written incident report
• Photograph your injuries, the dog, the scene, and any relevant conditions such as damaged fencing
• Gather contact information from any witnesses who saw the attack or the events leading up to it

Our blog on steps to take after a dog bite in Florida breaks down in detail what you need to document to build a successful claim. Acting on these steps promptly also prevents the destruction of surveillance footage or other evidence that may exist at the facility. In the most tragic cases where a dog attack results in a fatality, a Florida wrongful death claim may be available for surviving family members.

Wooten, Kimbrough, Damaso, and Dennis, P.A. Represents Dog Bite and Animal Attack Victims

At Wooten, Kimbrough, Damaso, and Dennis, P.A., our attorneys have been helping victims of dog bites and animal attacks throughout Central Florida for more than 60 years. Our firm holds the highest ranking for Orlando injury lawyers in the Best Law Firms report by U.S. News and World Report, and our partners are board certified by the Florida Bar in civil trial litigation. We have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients who were hurt because of another person’s negligence.

If you or someone you care about was injured at a Florida dog park, we are here to help. Contact us through our online form to request a free consultation with our team.