Animal Injury Claims – How Much Compensation Can I Claim?

While dog bites are one of the most common causes of animal-related claims, other accidents involving horses, cattle and others do sometimes occur and can lead to fairly serious injuries. Crucially, if you’ve been attacked by an animal, you might be entitled to compensation by filing an animal injury claim against the responsible party. As such, in this article, we’ll consider when you could claim compensation for animal-related injuries and what any settlement could cover.

Our claims advisors are available now to assess your chances of being compensated after reviewing how your accident happened during a free consultation. If there’s a fair chance you’ll win your claim, a personal injury solicitor from our expert panel may act on your behalf. If they do, you’ll receive legal representation on a No Win, No Fee basis. As a result, your financial risk will be greatly reduced which should make the claims process much less stressful.

To contact us about an animal injury claim right away, please call us on 0800 652 1345. Alternatively, you can read on to learn more about the claims process first.

Am I Entitled to Compensation for an Animal Attack?

Several laws may place a duty of care on animal owners when it comes to personal injury claims relating to animals. They include:

• The Animals Act 1971.
• The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.
• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

As a result, you may be entitled to compensation for an animal attack if:

• The animal’s owner was negligent in some way; and
• You were attacked or bitten by the animal; and
• You sustained injuries.

To check if you might be entitled to compensation for injuries caused by an animal, speak to us today.

Common Examples of Animal Injury Claims

You may be able to claim compensation for an animal attack if the incident was caused by negligence or a failure to control the animal. As such, we’ve listed a few scenarios that could lead to an animal injury claim here:

• Dog attacks: If a dog bites or attacks you due to an owner failing to control or restrain their pet in a public or private setting.
• Horse-related incidents: You were thrown off, kicked, or bitten by a horse due to negligence, such as improper handling or unsafe riding conditions.
• Crushing or trampling accidents: Incidents involving large animals, such as cattle or horses, where inadequate fencing, supervision, or control led to injury.
• Injuries on farms: If you are injured on a farm by livestock due to a lack of proper safety measures, insufficient warning signs, or a failure to secure animals properly. This could include being trampled by cows or bitten by aggressive farm dogs, for instance.
• Zoo and wildlife park injuries: Where a keeper, visitor, or staff member is harmed due to a lack of safety measures, such as inadequate enclosures or lack of proper warnings.
• Infections and illnesses: If you contract a disease or suffer an illness due to animal bites or scratches during the attack.
• Road traffic accidents: An animal such as a cow, horse, dog, or sheep, caused a road traffic collision due to the owner failing to keep them secured.
• Injuries on holiday: If you are harmed by an animal while on holiday abroad, such as on a safari, due to inadequate safety measures or supervision.

Our solicitors can help with these and other types of animal-related accidents if you were injured through no fault of your own. For a free consultation about your chances of being compensated, please get in touch.

What Types of Animal Attack Injuries Can I Claim For?

Let’s now explore the types of animal injuries that could lead to a compensation claim. Some examples are:

It’s worth pointing out that superficial marks or minor scratches typically won’t qualify for a claim. However, please speak to one of our specialists to see if you could be entitled to make an animal injury claim.

What Evidence Do I Need for an Animal Injury Claim?

In any type of personal injury claim, you will always have to prove how you were injured, who caused your accident and how you’ve suffered as a result. That means that if you are injured by an animal, you should try to secure solid proof in case you decide to claim compensation.

Some examples of proof that could help you to win your claim include:

• Photographs: If you’re able to do so safely, you should take pictures of the animal in question. Try to ensure that any distinguishing marks are captured in your pictures.
• Owner information: If you were attacked by a dog and the owner was present, you should ask for their contact details.
• Witness details: Your solicitor may need to take statements from anyone who saw you get injured. As such, you should write down the names and contact details of anyone else who was present.
• Medical evidence: If your injuries were treated in a hospital (or by your doctor), the medical notes from your appointment along with any x-rays could be requested to confirm the severity of your injuries.
• Accident report forms: If you were injured by an animal at work, in a public place, or on a business’s property you should report the incident as soon as you’re able to. This will create a written record of the incident which could be used to support your claim.
• CCTV footage: If the animal attack or incident was recorded you could therefore ask for a copy of any footage of the incident.
• Financial evidence. As you may be entitled to claim back any expenses linked to your injuries, you should provide your solicitor with copies of any relevant receipts or bank statements.

If you’d like us to review any proof you’ve collected or need advice on how to secure further information please get in touch. Even if you don’t have all of the proof listed here, we could still help you to start the claims process.

What Is the Time Limit to Make an Animal Injury Claim?

If you have been injured by an animal and would like to claim compensation, you’ll need to do so within the permitted time limit. For most claims, claimants have 3 years from the date they were injured. However, there are some exceptions so please get in touch to check whether or not you still have time.

Crucially, if your child was bitten or injured by an animal, their time limit will not start until they turn 18 years of age. As such, parents can claim on behalf of their children at any point before then.

As it can take time to collect medical records and proof to support your claim, it’s usually to begin the claims process as quickly as possible. Additionally, an early start to your claim might lead to the defendant making an interim payment to cover private medical costs or other immediate expenses.

How Much Compensation for an Animal Attack Can I Claim?

When you make an animal injury claim, you’ll need to think about how you’ve suffered physically, financially and psychologically. This is important as once you’ve been paid out you won’t be able to ask for a higher amount if you didn’t get your sums right. As such, if you do decide to claim with one of our solicitors, they could secure a settlement for:

• The pain and suffering caused by physical injuries.
• Loss of amenity – the impact of your injuries on your hobbies and normal activities.
• Replacing items damaged because of the animal.
• Medical costs such as remedial plastic surgery.
• Travel expenses.
• The time someone else spent caring for you whilst you were injured.
• Changes to your vehicle or home to improve your quality of life if you’ve suffered a permanent disability.

If your animal injury claim is accepted, your case will be investigated in detail to try and make sure that any compensation payment is paid at the highest level possible.

Will I Need a Solicitor to Claim Animal Attack Compensation?

The vast majority of animal injury claims will be handled by the defendant’s insurers. In most cases, they are likely to deny liability for your injuries so you’ll need to prove why their client was to blame and why you should be compensated. We believe you’ve got a better chance of doing so if your claim is handled by a personal injury solicitor.

If your claim is accepted by one of our solicitors, they’ll process it on a No Win, No Fee basis. As a result:

• There won’t be any legal fees payable upfront.
• If the animal injury claim fails, you don’t need to pay for your solicitor’s work.
• A success fee will be deducted from any settlement amount to pay for your solicitor’s expenses.

With the type of No Win, No Fee agreement our solicitors use, the maximum success fee you’ll pay is 25 per cent of your compensation.

Once your claim begins, your solicitor’s main goals will be to:

• Find out more about how you’ve suffered because of your injuries.
• Collect the proof needed to substantiate your claim.
• Send the claim to the defendant or their legal representatives.
• Communicate with the defendant on your behalf.
• Make sure you’re kept up to date about how your claim is moving along.

In all animal injury claims, your solicitor will only settle the claim if they believe any compensation offer fully covers your suffering.

Animal Injury Claims Frequently Asked Questions

Start an Animal Injury Compensation Claim Today

We’re here to help if you’ve got any questions about animal injury compensation claims. If you call us on 0800 652 1345, a specialist will discuss your claim with you and explain your options. We’ll try to answer any questions you might have if you’ve been injured by an animal and we could connect you with one of our personal injury lawyers.

If your claim is accepted, the whole claims process will be managed by your solicitor on your behalf. What’s more, you won’t be asked to pay any legal fees upfront because of their No Win, No Fee service.

Our team is also available via live chat if you’d like to discuss animal injury claims online so please feel free to get in touch.