Ontario Dog Bite Law Questions
In Ontario, there is a civil right to sue someone else in the court for damages if you are bitten or attacked by his/her/ their dog and consequently suffered some injury or damage. If you are thinking of suing someone for dog bite, our advise is to talk with an experienced dog bite law specialist asap, because there may be limitation periods curbing your right to sue after certain period of time.
There is no cap or limit for the amount that you can sue for a dog bite case in Ontario. So, if your injury or suffering post dog bite is serious enough, then you can sue for a million dollar or more if you think your case is worth it.
Dr. Ian Dunbar has a system to classify dog bites. Although the system is not infallible and there are variations, it is a popular way to check the severity of the the injury.
The bite scale levels are of six levels:
LEVEL 1—AGGRESSIVE BUT NO SKIN CONTACT
These cases are not good candidate to make a monetary damage claim for dog bite, but they can still form dog attack cases if the dog attack victim suffers some other injuries such as bicycle fall or slip and fall or diagnosed mental trauma from the dog's attack.
LEVEL 2—TEETH MAKE CONTACT, BUT DO NOT BREAK SKIN
This level of dog bite injury is also not good candidate to make a monetary damage claim for dog bite, but they can still give rise to substantial damage claim in dog attack cases if the dog attack victim suffers some other injuries such as bicycle fall or slip and fall from as they were escaping from the dog's attack.
LEVEL 3—A SINGLE BITE WITH SHALLOW WOUNDS
We regularly handle and settle such dog bite cases. Compensation level widely varies depending on the facts of the matter.
LEVEL 4—A SINGLE BITE WITH DEEP WOUNDS
We, as specialized Ontario dog bite lawyers regularly handle and settle such dog bite cases. Compensation/Settlement level widely varies depending on the facts of the matter.
LEVEL 5—MULTIPLE BITES WITH DEEP WOUNDS
We, as specialized Ontario dog bite lawyers regularly handle, settle or file law suit for such dog bite cases. Compensation/Settlement level widely varies depending on the facts of the matter.
LEVEL 6—DEATH OF THE VICTIM AND/OR FLESH CONSUMED
This is rare, but occasionally such unfortunate events take place in Canada.