Millville Dog Bite Lawyer
While the idea of a dog being man’s best friend seems nice, the reality of the situation can be completely different. A Millville dog can turn on a person at any time without warning. This can lead to severe, permanent injuries. When you or your child have been attacked by a dog, you need to call or text me, Joseph Monaco, to get a Millville Dog Bite Lawyer on your side.
I can provide you with the most recent information on dog bite laws in New Jersey as well as Millville’s ordinances on the subject. I can also help you bring a claim against the owner or keeper of the dog that bit you. Most dogs appear to be friendly and gentle but they can then bite a person when it is least expected. This is when you need an attorney like me to protect your rights.
There are many circumstances when a dog can be triggered to bite you or your child. For example, some dogs may bite a child who is eating. The dog may simply be trying to get at the food to eat it but the child is in the way of that goal resulting in a bite to the face or hand. In New Jersey, the owner or keeper of a dog is responsible for all injuries caused by the dog biting someone. This includes monetary compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and disfigurement. Many states have what is known as the “one-bite” rule. This basically allows the dog to have one free bite of a person. Fortunately, New Jersey does not follow this rule but rather has strict liability, which means the owner is automatically liable when someone is bitten.
Who Can Be Liable for a Millville New Jersey Dog Bite?
New Jersey Strict Liability Statute 4:19-16 states:
The owner of any dog which shall bite a person while such person is on or in a public place, or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, shall be liable for such damages as may be suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of such dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness. For the purpose of this section, a person is lawfully upon the private property of such owner when he is on the property in the performance of any duty imposed upon him by the laws of this state or the laws or postal regulations of the United States, or when he is on such property upon the invitation, express or implied, of the owner thereof.
Millville New Jersey Dog Ordinances
Millville Ordinance Chapter 8-3 – License Requirements.
A. License. Any person who shall own, keep or harbor a dog of licensing age shall apply for and procure from the Tax Collector a license and official metal registration tag for each dog, and shall place upon each dog a collar or harness with the registration tag securely fastened thereto.
Ordinance Chapter 8-8 – General Regulations.
A. Disturbance of the peace. No person shall own, keep or harbor any dog or other animal which habitually barks, howls or cries and thereby disturbs the peace and quiet of the neighborhood and creates a nuisance at any time of the day or night.
B. Leashing. No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog or similar animal shall permit it to be upon a public street, sidewalk, thoroughfare, park, playground, school yard or in any of the public places of the City unless it is controlled by an adequate leash or tether not more than 15 feet long.
C. Nuisance prohibited. No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog or other animal shall cause or allow said animal to soil, defile, deface or defecate on, or commit any nuisance on any public property. The person in charge of such animal shall immediately remove all feces deposited by such animal by any sanitary method. This same provision applies to any private property when the activities of the animal occur without permission of the property owner.
D. Property damage. No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog or other animal shall permit it to do any injury or to do any damage to any lawn, shrubbery, flowers, grounds, garden or property of another person unless consented to by the other person.
E. Running at large. No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog or other animal shall permit the animal to run at large, outside of the control of the owner, on public property or private property off the premises of the owner.
Chapter 8-14 – Seizure and Impounding.
A. The Animal Control Officer of the City shall take into custody and impound any of the following:
(1) Any dog or other domestic animal off the premises of the owner which the Animal Control Officer has reason to believe is a stray.
(2) Any dog or other domestic animal off the premises of the owner without a current registration tag or other means of identification.
(3) Any female dog in season off the premises of the owner.
(4) Any dog or other animal which is suspected to be rabid.
(5) Any dog or other domestic animal off the premises of the owner observed by the Animal Control Officer to be ill, injured or creating a threat to public health, safety or welfare, or otherwise interfering with the enjoyment of property.
B. If any animal so seized wears a collar or harness with a registration tag or has information inscribed on the collar or harness which identifies the owner, the Animal Control Officer shall provide written notice to the owner stating that the animal has been seized and shall be liable to be offered for adoption or destroyed if not claimed within seven days after service of the notice.
C. A notice under this section may be served either by hand delivering it to the person who is the owner, or by leaving it at the owner’s premises, or by forwarding it by regular and certified mail to the last known address of the owner or the address given on the collar.
D. The owner of the animal shall be responsible for all expenses incurred by the City in connection with the seizure and impounding of the animal.
Speak with a Millville Dog Bite Lawyer Today
If you or your child has been bitten by a dog in Millville, New Jersey, call or text me at 609-277-3166 for a Free Consultation and the No Recovery, No Fee Guarantee. Don’t be victimized twice by not hiring a dog bite lawyer.
