New Jersey Dog Bite Wrongful Death Lawyer

Proudly serving all of New Jersey

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Filing a Fatal Dog Attack Lawsuit

While most dogs deserve the well earned moniker “Man’s Best Friend,” a few do not. While dog bites that cause minor injuries are fairly common, fatal dog attacks are pretty rare and usually involve infants, small children, and the elderly. Though rare considering the amount of domesticated dogs there are in this country and how closely they interact with humans, fatal dog attacks do occur.

To find out more about your legal rights and options, you’ll want to consult a wrongful death attorney in New Jersey. Lependorf & Silverstein, P.C. has been successfully representing the families of accident victims for over 25 years and will put their knowledge and experience to work on your NJ wrongful death claim. Call (609) 240-0040 to schedule a free consultation.

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Liability for Dog Attacks in New Jersey

Like most states, New Jersey assigns “strict liability” to a dog’s owner in the case of an attack. This means that a biting dog’s owner is liable for all damages caused by the dog, even if they attempted to restrain the dog, or to protect or warn others.

If you’ve lost a loved one in a fatal dog attack, you may be entitled to compensation for wrongful death damages from the dog’s owner. If the dog was a stray, you may have grounds for a wrongful death claim against the municipality where the incident occurred. Most cities and counties have animal control departments that are charged with rounding up stray animals and putting them up for adoption. If animal control failed in its duty to capture a vicious animal, then that municipality can be held liable.

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Compensation for Damages in a Fatal Dog Attack in NJ

If you’ve lost a loved one in a fatal dog attack, you and your family may be entitled to compensation from the dog’s owner for any of the following wrongful death damages:

• Funeral and burial costs
• Medical bills
• Pain and suffering of the deceased before they died
• Loss of future income
• Loss of future benefits, such as medical benefits and retirement benefits
• Loss of love, affection, companionship, guidance, etc.
• Loss of household services the deceased provided, such as childcare, bookkeeping, vehicle and property maintenance, etc.

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New Jersey Statute of Limitations for Dog Bite Claims

If you’ve lost a loved one in a fatal dog attack, you have just two calendar years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim. Since filing a wrongful death lawsuit can require a good deal of investigation and paperwork, it’s important to contact an attorney as soon after the death as possible.

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Who Can File A Wrongful Death Claim in New Jersey

The following persons are eligible to file a wrongful death claim in New Jersey:

• The deceased’s surviving spouse
• The deceased’s surviving children and grandchildren
• The deceased’s surviving parents
• The deceased’s surviving siblings, nieces, and nephews
• Anyone who can demonstrate that they were “actually dependent” on the deceased person

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Quality Legal Representation from Our NJ Fatal Dog Bite Attorneys

Following the loss of a loved one, a family will be faced with many unpleasant tasks, such as planning a funeral and dealing with the deceased’s will and property. Often, a family doesn’t begin thinking of wrongful death compensation until much later. But all it takes is a simple phone call to a qualified and experienced New Jersey dog bite attorney to get the unpleasant process of filing such a claim started. Call Lependorf & Silverstein, P.C. today, at (609) 240-0040 for a free case evaluation.

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