Dog bite victims in Toledo, Ohio, often don’t realize that they have six years to file a lawsuit, which is two years longer than most negligence claims.
As an attorney who handles dog bite cases, I recognize how important this extra time can be, especially for children. Sometimes it takes a number of years before a child’s scars can be fully treated by a plastic surgeon. Having a longer statute of limitations can work to the child’s advantage in cases like these.
My colleagues and I wrote about the limitations period for dog bite cases in The Ohio Dog Bite Book, which you can order for free by calling the phone number listed above or by clicking here. The text on this issue follows immediately below.
DOG-BITE VICTIMS HAVE 6 YEARS TO FILE LAWSUIT
In any injury case, the victim has a limited timeframe in which to file a lawsuit or the claim will be lost forever. Dog-bite cases are no different, but the timeframe is longer. A dog-bite victim has six years from the date of the bite to bring a lawsuit, as opposed to the two-year period people have if they’ve been injured in a traffic accident. This period is called the statute of limitations.
This extended period to bring a claim allows people a better opportunity to fully recover before they must bring a lawsuit. Dog-bite injuries often take a long time to resolve, particularly if scar-revision surgery becomes necessary.
Children have an even longer period in which to file a lawsuit in a dog-bite case. A child who is bitten by a dog has six years past the age of majority to bring a claim, which means six years past their 18th birthday. The extended period works to the advantage of a child who was bitten by a dog. Child victims of dog bites often are left with scars on their faces or necks. Because they’re still growing, they sometimes have to go through a number of surgeries over a period of years to repair their scars.
