Nearly everyone loves dogs and thinks of them as man’s best friend. Unfortunately, sometimes their bite can cause serious injury to someone. Every year, nearly 5 million people are attacked or bitten by a dog in the United States, with about 1 million of those victims requiring significant medical attention in the wake of the attack, ranging from stitches to surgery or worse.
In addition to the physical trauma that occurs due to the bite itself, sometimes a dog’s bite can spread germs and diseases such as tetanus, rabies or MSRA, which is a serious staph infection. Regardless of what injuries or illnesses develop, a San Antonio dog bite lawyer can guide you to the medical help you need.
Why Choose Our Firm to Handle Your Case?
Navigating the aftermath of a dog bite injury can be incredibly daunting. Our legal team is ready to take charge of your case, guiding you through each step of the legal process. Choosing Hill Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyers comes with:
- Expertise in personal injury law: Specializing in personal injury law, Hill Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyer brings years of experience in handling cases similar to yours, ensuring proficient and empathetic representation.
- Proven track record: Our firm has consistently achieved favorable outcomes, securing millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for our clients. We are committed to attaining the best results for every case.
- Contingency fee structure: Choosing our firm means you won’t face any out-of-pocket expenses. You only pay when we successfully secure a settlement or verdict on your behalf, making our commitment clear in a results-driven approach.
Meet San Antonio Attorney Justin Hill
Since 2007, Justin Hill has been advocating for individuals and businesses in the South Texas region. His legal journey began with his association with a nationally acclaimed plaintiffs’ firm right after completing his studies at Baylor Law School. In 2015, he founded Hill Law Firm with the goal of offering compassionate and high-quality representation to injury victims. Justin is dedicated to representing plaintiffs who have suffered due to the negligent actions of individuals or entities.
Rest assured, Justin approaches each case with the care and attention it deserves. If you’ve been the victim of a dog bite, we’d love the chance to speak with you and see how we can help. You can find our local office at:
445 Recoleta Rd., San Antonio, Tx. 78216
(210) 899-5031
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Amazing customer service and they got the job done FAST. Couldn’t be happier. Highly recommend!!!”
– S.T.B.
When a Dog Bites
Most people assume a dog bite claim lives or dies on whether the dog “had a history.” That’s only one path to compensation, and it’s often the weakest one. San Antonio has its own animal control ordinances, its own dangerous dog process through San Antonio Animal Care Services, and its own patterns in how local insurers handle these claims. Knowing which legal theory fits your situation, and what a homeowner’s or renter’s policy actually covers, changes what your case is worth before you ever file paperwork.
What Compensation Can You Recover After a Dog Bite in San Antonio?
Texas law allows dog bite victims to recover both economic and non-economic damages, and the categories go well beyond emergency room bills. Medical costs cover the full treatment arc: emergency care, reconstructive or plastic surgery for facial or hand injuries, physical therapy for nerve or tendon damage, and follow-up care for serious infections common with puncture wounds.
Scarring and disfigurement are compensated separately from medical bills because they carry a permanent, visible cost, especially for children whose scars change as they grow. Emotional trauma is also compensable. Many bite victims, particularly kids, develop a lasting fear of dogs or symptoms consistent with PTSD, including nightmares, avoidance behavior, and anxiety in situations that resemble the attack. Parents who witnessed an attack on their child can, in some circumstances, pursue their own claim for the emotional distress they experienced. Lost wages apply if the injury or required surgery kept you out of work.
The CDC estimates roughly 4.5 million dog bites occur annually in the U.S., and children are bitten at disproportionately high rates, often on the face and neck because of their height relative to the dog. That combination of vulnerability and visible injury is exactly why insurers scrutinize child bite claims closely and why documentation matters so much.
Which Legal Theory Fits Your Case: One-Bite Rule, Negligence, or Strict Liability?
Your legal theory determines what you have to prove, and Texas gives you three options rather than one.
The one-bite rule lets you recover if the owner knew, or should have known, the dog had dangerous tendencies, whether from a prior bite, aggressive lunging, or documented complaints. Negligence per se applies when the owner violated a local ordinance, such as San Antonio’s leash and restraint requirements. If the dog was off-leash or unconfined in violation of city code, you don’t have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous. The violation itself establishes fault. Strict liability becomes available when a dog has been formally designated dangerous under Texas Health and Safety Code provisions and local ordinance, which shifts the burden onto the owner regardless of prior knowledge.
Texas Comparative Fault: What If You Were Partly at Fault?
Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule, meaning you can still recover damages even if you share some blame, as long as you’re not found more than 50% responsible. If a jury finds you 20% at fault for, say, reaching over a fence toward a chained dog, your award is reduced by that percentage rather than eliminated. Insurers frequently try to push that percentage higher than the facts support, especially in cases involving children who wandered near a yard. This is precisely where a zealous advocate for every personal injury client matters: pushing back on inflated fault arguments before they shrink your settlement.
Who Else Can Be Held Liable? Landlords, HOAs, and Property Managers
The dog’s owner isn’t always the only party who can be sued. Landlords can be held liable if they knew a tenant’s dog was dangerous and had the ability to require its removal under the lease but failed to act. HOAs face similar exposure when a resident’s dog has a known history of aggression in common areas, like a pool deck or dog park, and the association took no corrective steps despite complaints. Property management companies that ignore repeated animal control reports on a rental property can also be named. Identifying every liable party matters because it often means additional insurance policies, and additional coverage limits, available to pay your claim.
Does a “Dangerous Dog” Designation Change Your Claim?
Yes, and it can substantially strengthen it. Under Texas law, a dog can be formally declared dangerous by local authorities after specific aggressive behavior, which then requires the owner to carry liability insurance, use secure enclosures, and follow registration and signage rules. If the dog that bit you already carried this designation, or should have based on prior incidents, that record becomes powerful evidence of the owner’s knowledge and creates a stronger basis for a strict liability argument. San Antonio Animal Care Services maintains records on prior bite complaints and dangerous dog cases, and pulling those records early is one of the first things an attorney should do.
Building Your Claim: Evidence That Actually Moves the Needle
What you do in the first few days shapes the value of your case more than almost anything that happens later. Get medical treatment immediately, even for wounds that look minor, since puncture wounds close quickly on the surface while trapping infection underneath. Photograph everything: the wound at multiple stages of healing, torn clothing, the location of the attack, and any fencing, gates, or restraints involved. Get the dog owner’s information and insurance details, along with contact information for any witnesses on the scene. Report the bite to San Antonio Animal Care Services or the police, which creates an official record and can trigger a dangerous dog investigation. Preserve physical evidence, including torn or bloodied clothing, rather than washing or discarding it. And avoid giving a recorded statement to the owner’s insurer before you understand what your claim is actually worth.
You don’t need to have this figured out alone, and you won’t face out-of-pocket costs finding out where you stand. Hill Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyers works on a contingency basis, meaning there are no payments unless we win your case. Call Hill Law Firm today for a free consultation to discuss your case.
Does Homeowner’s Insurance Cover Dog Bite Claims?
In most cases, yes. Homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies typically include liability coverage that pays for dog bite claims, which means you’re negotiating with an insurance company, not asking a friend or neighbor to pay out of pocket. Some insurers exclude certain breeds or drop coverage after a previous bite, which is one reason claims involving a dog with a history get scrutinized harder. Adjusters often apply a standard formula to these claims regardless of how severe your specific injuries or scarring are. Personalized attention to your medical records, scarring photos, and psychological impact is what pushes a settlement past that formula number.
How Long Do You Have to File a Dog Bite Lawsuit in Texas?
Texas gives dog bite victims two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit. Miss that deadline and you generally lose the right to recover, no matter how strong the underlying facts are. Two years sounds like plenty of time, but animal control records get purged, witnesses move or forget details, and insurers become far less cooperative once they sense the clock is running out. Starting the process early, even just through a free consultation, protects your options without committing you to anything.
Recognizing Warning Signs Before a Bite Happens
Understanding a dog’s body language can help prevent an attack, and it also matters for your claim if the dog displayed clear warning signs
Get Medical Treatment
The San Antonio dog bite lawyer at Hill Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyers knows that the negative effects of dog bite injuries can often go well beyond the physical manifestations of the bite itself. Many dog bite victims, especially children, also experience ongoing psychological trauma and emotional distress, sometimes as serious as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This type of thing can be even more profound if the scarring from the dog attack is visible on the face, hands or lower arms.
Dog attacks often affect more than the victim; if a child has been bitten or attacked, the parents who saw the attack or its aftermath can, depending on the circumstances, make their own claims and recover monetary compensation for their own personal emotional distress.
Of course, anyone who has been bitten by a dog should first seek medical attention, if that is deemed necessary. If the bite is minor, meaning it doesn’t break the skin, be sure to at least clean and disinfect the wound, although it may be worthwhile to have a doctor look at it anyway. Always take pictures of all injuries and the scene of the attack and get the contact information for any potential witnesses to the attack. Finally, call local animal control officials and possibly the police. Getting official reports on what happened can be important later on.
Dog Bite Statistics
- Approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in the United States. Nearly 1 out of 5 bites become infected. (CDC)
- Dog attacks occur every 75 seconds in the United States. Each day, over 1,000 citizens need emergency medical care to treat these injuries. (CDC)
- In the 13-year data set, 54 cases involved a dog killing its primary owner.
- In 2015, more than 28,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of being bitten by dogs. (ASPS)
- Of the more than 8 different dog breeds identified, one-third were caused by pit bull terriers and resulted in the highest rate of consultation (94%) and had 5 times the relative rate of surgical intervention. (NCBI)
The 10 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds:
We listed the top ten most dangerous dog breeds in terms of fatal attacks on humans from 2005 to 2017.
As shown on the chart, pitbulls are far more likely to show aggressive behavior and be involved in a fatal attack compared to all other dog breeds.
From 2005 to 2017, pitbulls have averaged a human fatality every 16.7 days on average.
Contact an Experienced San Antonio Dog Bite Lawyer
Call a San Antonio personal injury lawyer at Hill Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyers to help you try to make things right. A great many victims of dog attacks choose not to file suit because they know the dog owner and don’t want to be a bother. However, they should know that such lawsuits don’t actually impact the dog owner because in most cases, the compensation they receive will come from the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance policy.
Our trial attorneys in San Antonio can help the victim of a dog bite recover for their immediate medical treatment for puncture wounds and possible infections. We can also recover for long-term needs, including physical and occupational therapy, reconstructive surgery, and all medical bills associated. We can also help you recover for the cost of psychological counseling if that is necessary.
If you or a loved one have been attacked or bitten by a dog, you may be entitled to compensation for any injuries or death that may have occurred, including compensation for future medical claims that may be necessary in the future. You will need an experienced lawyer to help you navigate the difficult Texas laws regarding liability for dog bites.
Please contact the experienced and proven San Antonio dog bite attorney at Hill Law Firm Accident and Injury Lawyers as soon as possible. That way we can get all of the details while they’re fresh, and work with you to protect your rights and get you the fair compensation that you deserve. Call us now at (210) 960-3939 or send us a message online and let us help you protect your rights under the law. An initial consultation is always free.
“Everyone at the Justin Hill firm are outstanding!!! During every step of the process, each person was very informative, responsive, and flexible….explanations were provided so we knew what to expect. Very impressed with his honesty and straight talk during our initial consult. I highly recommend this firm for your legal needs.” – Charlie