You did nothing wrong. You were in a park, on a neighbor's property, or walking down the street when a dog bit you. Now you are dealing with wounds, medical bills, and possibly a long recovery.
Florida law is on your side. The state holds dog owners responsible for bites regardless of whether the animal had ever shown aggression before. Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Sosa represents dog bite victims in West Palm Beach and throughout Palm Beach County. We recover medical costs, lost income, and compensation for scarring and emotional harm, so you do not carry the financial burden of someone else's dog.
More than $500 million recovered for Florida injury clients. 40 years of practice. Free case review, 24/7. No fee unless we win.
Call (561) 478-2500 today.
Table of contents
- Does Florida Law Allow You to Sue After a Dog Bite?
- What Are the Exceptions to Florida's Dog Bite Liability?
- Who Pays for Dog Bite Injuries in West Palm Beach?
- What Injuries Result From Dog Bites?
- What Should You Do After a Dog Bite in West Palm Beach?
- What Compensation Can a Dog Bite Victim Recover in Florida?
- How Long Do You Have to File a Dog Bite Claim in Florida?
- Ask Rosenthal Levy
- Serving Dog Bite Victims in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, and Port St. Lucie
- Frequently Asked Questions About West Palm Beach Dog Bite Claims
Does Florida Law Allow You to Sue After a Dog Bite?
Yes. Florida imposes strict liability on dog owners for bites, which is one of the strongest legal protections for dog bite victims in the country.
Under Florida Statute 767.04, a dog owner is liable for injuries caused by their dog biting another person when the victim was in a public place or lawfully on private property at the time. Liability exists regardless of whether the dog had ever bitten anyone before or shown any signs of aggression. Florida does not follow the "one bite rule" applied in many other states.
This means you do not have to prove the owner knew the dog was dangerous. You only need to show the bite happened and that you were where you had a right to be.
Call (561) 478-2500 to find out what your dog bite claim is worth.
What Are the Exceptions to Florida's Dog Bite Liability?
Florida's strict liability rule is strong, but it has two significant exceptions that dog owners and their insurance companies will raise in a claim.
The "Bad Dog" Sign Defense
If a dog owner posts a sign on their property that prominently and clearly displays the words "bad dog" or "beware of dog," Florida law allows them to use that sign as a defense to strict liability. The sign must be visible and readable to anyone approaching the property.
However, this sign defense does not protect the owner if the bite victim is a child six years old or younger. Minor children in that age group retain the right to recover under strict liability even when a warning sign is posted. Parents concerned about keeping their children safe can learn more about children and dogs and avoiding an attack before an incident occurs.
Provocation and Comparative Negligence
If the bite victim provoked the dog, that provocation can reduce or, in extreme cases, eliminate the recovery. Florida applies comparative fault principles to dog bite claims. If a court finds that a victim provoked the attack and assigns them a share of responsibility, the recovery is reduced by that percentage.
Under Florida's modified comparative fault rule, updated by HB 837 in 2023, you can still recover as long as your share of fault does not exceed 50%. An attorney evaluates whether provocation is a legitimate defense in your case or an argument being made to avoid paying a valid claim.
Trespassing
A person who was trespassing on private property at the time of the bite is not protected by the strict liability rule. However, trespassers who are bitten may still have claims under other legal theories depending on the circumstances. An attorney evaluates all available paths.
Who Pays for Dog Bite Injuries in West Palm Beach?
In most dog bite cases, the financial recovery comes from the dog owner's homeowner's or renter's insurance policy rather than directly from the owner personally.
Homeowner's Insurance Coverage for Dog Bites
Standard homeowner's insurance policies in Florida typically include personal liability coverage for dog bites. Dog bites account for more than one-third of all homeowner's insurance liability claims nationally. Coverage limits vary by policy, but many homeowner's policies carry at least $100,000 in personal liability coverage, and some carry $300,000 or more.
When the dog owner is a renter rather than a homeowner, their renter's insurance policy often provides similar personal liability coverage. An attorney identifies every insurance policy that may cover the claim and pursues each.
What If the Dog Owner Has No Insurance?
When a dog owner has no homeowner's or renter's insurance, recovery may still be possible through a direct personal judgment against the owner. An attorney evaluates the dog owner's financial situation and insurance status before advising on the most practical path to compensation.
What Injuries Result From Dog Bites?
Dog bites produce injuries that range from surface-level wounds to conditions requiring surgery, long-term treatment, and emotional support.
Physical Injuries
Puncture wounds are the most immediate injury, but dog bites frequently cause deeper damage including lacerations that require surgical closure, nerve damage that creates lasting numbness or loss of function, tendon and muscle injuries in the hand or arm, bone fractures from the force of the bite, and permanent scarring or disfigurement.
Infections are a serious secondary concern. According to the CDC, approximately one in five dog bites becomes infected. Capnocytophaga bacteria, which dogs carry in their mouths, can cause serious systemic illness. MRSA and other bacterial infections require aggressive antibiotic treatment and occasionally hospitalization.
Psychological Injuries
Dog bite victims, especially children, frequently develop post-traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD, intense anxiety around dogs, and lasting emotional distress that affects their daily activities. These psychological injuries are compensable under Florida law as part of non-economic damages. An attorney includes documented psychological harm in the full valuation of your claim.
What Should You Do After a Dog Bite in West Palm Beach?
The actions you take in the hours and days following a dog bite directly affect both your health and your legal claim.
Get medical attention immediately. Even wounds that appear minor can become infected within hours. Medical documentation from the same day as the bite links your injuries directly to the incident.
Report the bite to Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. The Division at 7100 Belvedere Road handles dog bite incidents in West Palm Beach. Filing a report initiates an official investigation, triggers the required 10-day rabies quarantine for the dog, and creates an official government record of the incident. That record is powerful evidence in your claim.
Photograph your injuries and the location. Document every wound before and after treatment, the location where the bite occurred, and any fencing, leashes, or containment failures that contributed to the attack.
Get the dog owner's information. Name, address, phone number, and proof of homeowner's or renter's insurance if possible. Collect witness contact information.
Do not sign anything from the dog owner's insurance company without consulting an attorney. Early settlement offers frequently do not reflect the full cost of treatment.
Call (561) 478-2500 for a free case review with Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Sosa.
What Compensation Can a Dog Bite Victim Recover in Florida?
Florida law allows dog bite victims to pursue full economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages include all medical expenses related to the bite, from emergency room treatment through surgery, physical therapy, and future medical care needed for scarring or lasting injury. They also include lost wages for time missed from work during recovery and reduced future earning capacity when a permanecnt injury affects your ability to work.
Non-economic damages address the human impact of the injury: physical pain and suffering, permanent scarring and disfigurement, emotional distress, and psychological trauma including PTSD. For children and adults who suffer visible scarring from a bite on the face, hands, or neck, non-economic damages can represent a significant share of the total recovery.
An attorney evaluates the full scope of your damages, including injuries still developing or that may require future treatment, before any settlement discussions begin.
How Long Do You Have to File a Dog Bite Claim in Florida?
Two years. Under Florida Statute 95.11(3)(a), personal injury claims in West Palm Beach, Florida must be filed within two years of the date of the bite.
Acting quickly matters for a separate reason. The dog owner's insurance company begins its own investigation immediately after the claim is reported. An attorney involved early can gather evidence, obtain the Animal Care and Control investigation report, and document injuries before they heal in ways that make their severity harder to prove.
Ask Rosenthal Levy
Q: My neighbor's dog bit me on their property. Can I still make a claim even though they know me?
A: Yes. Under Florida Statute 767.04, the strict liability rule applies when you are lawfully on private property, even if that private property belongs to the dog's owner. Being a friend, neighbor, or invited guest does not eliminate your right to pursue a claim. The insurance company handles these claims, not the dog owner directly. Most claims resolve through homeowner's insurance without involving the personal relationship at all.
Q: The dog owner says their dog never bit anyone before. Does that hurt my case?
A: No. Florida's strict liability statute specifically eliminates any requirement that the owner knew the dog was dangerous or had bitten someone before. The dog's prior history is legally irrelevant to establishing the owner's liability. This is the key distinction between Florida law and the "one bite rule" used in other states.
Q: A dog bit my child at another family's home. How does this work?
A: It works the same way as any other dog bite claim under Florida Statute 767.04. Children are the most common dog bite victims, and courts are generally sympathetic to child victims in these cases. Compensation for a child who suffers scarring, psychological trauma, or an injury that follows them into adulthood can be significant.
Q: What if the bite was from a dog that is not owned by a person, like a stray dog?
A: Stray dog bites create a more complicated claim because strict liability under Florida Statute 767.04 applies to owners. If the dog was truly ownerless, you may have claims based on other theories depending on where the bite occurred and who had control over the property.
Serving Dog Bite Victims in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, and Port St. Lucie
Dog bites occur throughout Palm Beach County, in neighborhoods, parks, and public spaces from West Palm Beach and Wellington to Lake Worth Beach and Boynton Beach. The growing community of Westlake sees dog encounters in its newer residential areas. Our Port St. Lucie office represents dog bite victims throughout St. Lucie County.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, located at 7100 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach, handles bite investigations and the required quarantine process for Palm Beach County. Our attorneys are familiar with this process and how the agency's investigation records support injury claims.
Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Sosa handles cases in the 15th Judicial Circuit (Palm Beach County) and the 19th Judicial Circuit (St. Lucie County). Our attorneys and staff are bilingual. We represent English and Spanish-speaking clients with the same level of care.
$500 million recovered. 40 years in South Florida. No fee unless we win.
Call (561) 478-2500 or (866) 640-7117. Available 24/7. Se habla español.
Frequently Asked Questions About West Palm Beach Dog Bite Claims
Does Florida's dog bite law cover attacks where the dog didn't actually bite but injured me another way?
Florida Statute 767.04 specifically applies to bites. If a dog knocked you down, jumped on you, or injured you without biting, the strict liability standard under 767.04 does not automatically apply. However, you may still have a claim based on the dog owner's negligence, which requires showing the owner knew or should have known the dog behaved dangerously. An attorney evaluates which legal theory applies to your injury.
Can I still recover if I provoked the dog without realizing it?
It depends on how the court evaluates the conduct. Florida's comparative fault analysis looks at whether the behavior was a proximate cause of the bite and how it would be viewed by a reasonable person. Unintentional provocation, such as accidentally stepping on a dog, typically carries much less weight than deliberate conduct. An attorney evaluates the specific facts and challenges any exaggerated provocation defense.
Can I file a dog bite claim if the dog owner has already told their insurer the bite was my fault?
Yes. The insurance company's initial position is not a final determination. An attorney gathers the Animal Care and Control investigation report, medical records, photographs, and witness statements to present a complete picture of what happened. The insurer's early fault assessment is the starting point for negotiations, not the conclusion. Recovering compensation is still possible even when fault is disputed.
Does Rosenthal Levy handle dog bite cases in communities near West Palm Beach?
Yes. The firm serves clients throughout Palm Beach County, including Wellington, Lake Worth Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres, Westlake, and Boynton Beach. Our Port St. Lucie office handles cases in St. Lucie County. Most initial consultations are conducted by phone, and in-person meetings can be arranged at either office.
Talk to a Dog Bite Injury Lawyer in West Palm Beach
Florida's strict liability law is clear. If a dog bit you while you were somewhere you had a right to be, the owner is responsible. You should not be left paying for their dog's behavior.
Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Sosa offers free case reviews with no obligation. Call us, tell us what happened, and we will tell you exactly what your options are under Florida law.
Free case review. No fee unless we win. Available 24/7.
Call (561) 478-2500 or (866) 640-7117. Se habla español.
Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Sosa 1401 Forum Way Suite 730, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 | (561) 478-2500