Available 24/7 (214) 333-3333
Available 24/7 (214) 333-3333
Available 24/7 (214) 333-3333
Available 24/7 (214) 333-3333
A dog bite or animal attack can happen in an instant, but the physical and emotional consequences can last a lifetime. Deep puncture wounds, permanent scarring, nerve damage, broken bones, and the psychological trauma of the attack itself can turn your world upside down. If you or someone you love has been injured in a dog bite or animal attack in Dallas, Fort Worth, or anywhere in the surrounding DFW area, you deserve an experienced dog bite attorney who will fight relentlessly to protect your rights and recover every dollar you are owed.
At Frenkel & Frenkel, we aggressively pursue full and fair compensation for victims who have suffered serious injuries in dog bite and animal attack cases. Our experienced dog bite injury attorneys understand the physical and emotional trauma caused by these incidents and are committed to providing compassionate, dedicated legal representation so that you receive the support and compensation you deserve. You pay nothing unless we win your case.
Many dog bite victims hesitate to file a claim because they do not want to take legal action against a friend, neighbor, or family member. However, homeowners’ and renters’ insurance policies exist precisely to cover these situations, even when the bite was inflicted by a typically gentle family dog. Filing a claim is not a personal attack on the dog’s owner. It is simply accessing the insurance coverage that exists for exactly this purpose.
Prompt medical attention is essential to prevent infections after being bitten or attacked by a dog. Plastic surgery may be necessary to reduce visible face, neck, or body scars, and psychological therapy may be needed. This is where a dog bite lawyer in Dallas & Fort Worth TX can act swiftly, confidently, and with exceptional legal skills. At Frenkel & Frenkel, our personal injury attorneys fight to hold dog owners, property owners, and those supervising children liable if they fail to protect them from dog attacks in neighborhoods and public parks.
Texas dog bite law can be complex, and understanding how it applies to your case is critical to recovering the compensation you deserve. Texas follows what is commonly known as the “one bite rule,” which was established in the 1974 Texas Supreme Court ruling in Marshall v. Ranne. Under this rule, a dog owner can be held liable if they knew or should have known that their dog had dangerous or aggressive tendencies before the attack occurred.
In addition to the one bite rule, Texas law also allows dog bite victims to pursue claims based on negligence. A dog owner can be found negligent if they violated a local leash law, failed to properly restrain their animal, or otherwise handled their dog in a careless way that led to the attack. In many cases, both theories of liability apply, and an experienced Dallas dog bite attorney can evaluate the specific facts of your situation to determine the strongest path forward.
This does not mean the dog must have bitten someone before. If the dog had previously snarled, snapped, lunged at people, or displayed other threatening behavior, and the owner was aware of that history, that knowledge is enough to establish liability. The key question is whether the owner had reason to know their dog posed a risk to others and failed to take reasonable steps to prevent an attack.
Texas also follows a “modified comparative fault” rule, which means that if you are found to be partially at fault for the attack, your compensation may be reduced proportionally. However, as long as you are less than 51% responsible for the incident, you are still entitled to recover damages. Insurance companies will often try to shift blame onto the victim to reduce their payout, which is exactly why having a knowledgeable dog bite injury attorney in your corner matters so much.
A dog owner is legally responsible for keeping their animal under control. Negligence in a dog bite injury case can occur in several ways, and understanding these distinctions can make a significant difference in the outcome of your claim.
Dog bites are not minor incidents. The injuries sustained in a dog attack can range from surface-level wounds to catastrophic, life-altering harm. Medical professionals classify dog bite injuries across a spectrum of severity, from shallow puncture wounds that break the skin to deep, multiple-bite attacks that cause extensive tissue damage, broken bones, and nerve injury.
Children are disproportionately affected by dog bites and are far more likely to suffer severe injuries, particularly to the face, head, and neck. Because children are smaller and less able to defend themselves, attacks that might cause moderate injuries in an adult can be disfiguring or even fatal for a child. Facial scarring in children often requires multiple reconstructive surgeries and years of follow-up care.
Beyond the physical injuries, the psychological impact of a dog attack can be profound and long-lasting. Many victims develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, a persistent fear of dogs, and other emotional conditions that affect their daily lives, relationships, and ability to work. These psychological injuries are real, they are compensable, and Frenkel & Frenkel will fight to ensure they are fully accounted for in your claim.
Common injuries in dog bite and animal attack cases include deep puncture wounds and lacerations, permanent facial and body scarring, nerve damage and loss of sensation, broken or fractured bones, serious bacterial infections including MRSA and Capnocytophaga, tendon and muscle damage, and psychological trauma including PTSD and anxiety disorders.
The steps you take in the hours and days following a dog bite or animal attack can have a direct impact on the strength of your injury claim. Acting quickly and carefully protects both your health and your legal rights.
First, get to safety and put distance between yourself and the animal. If the injuries are severe, call 911 immediately and request emergency medical assistance. Even if your wounds appear minor, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible, because infections from dog bites can develop rapidly and some injuries, including nerve damage and deep tissue trauma, are not immediately visible.
Once you have received medical care, report the attack to Dallas Animal Services or the appropriate local animal control authority. This creates an official record of the incident and may trigger an investigation into the dog’s history of aggression. Gather the dog owner’s name, contact information, and homeowners’ or renters’ insurance details. If there were any witnesses to the attack, collect their names and contact information as well.
Document your injuries thoroughly. Take photographs of your wounds immediately after the attack and continue photographing them daily as they heal. Keep records of every medical appointment, treatment, prescription, and expense related to your injuries. Write down the details of the attack while they are fresh in your memory, including the location, time, circumstances, and anything you know about the dog’s prior behavior.
Do not give a recorded statement to the dog owner’s insurance company before speaking with a dog bite attorney in Dallas. Insurance adjusters are trained to ask questions in ways that can minimize your claim or shift blame onto you. Frenkel & Frenkel will handle all communication with the insurance company on your behalf so that your rights are fully protected from the start.
Dog bite injuries can result in significant financial losses in addition to the physical and emotional harm you have suffered. If your dog bite injury claim is successful, you may be entitled to recover a wide range of damages, including the following.
The severity of your injuries, the medical care you have received, and the impact the attack has had on your daily life all play a role in determining the total compensation you may be entitled to receive. Gathering thorough documentation from the very beginning, including medical records, photographs, witness statements, and financial records, is essential to building the strongest possible claim.
Not all law firms are created equal, and when it comes to dog bite and animal attack cases in Dallas and Fort Worth, experience and strategy matter enormously. At Frenkel & Frenkel, our founding attorneys have achieved settlements and jury awards totaling millions of dollars in challenging personal injury cases, both in and out of court.
What sets Frenkel & Frenkel apart is our unique insider perspective. Our attorneys previously worked defending insurance companies, which means we understand exactly how insurers evaluate claims, the tactics they use to minimize payouts, and the strategies they deploy to avoid paying fair compensation. That knowledge is now used exclusively to protect injury victims, not corporations. We know what insurance companies are looking for, and we know how to counter their arguments effectively.
With more than three decades of experience representing injured Texans, Frenkel & Frenkel has built a reputation for unparalleled client care, aggressive advocacy, and life-changing results. Our attorneys have been recognized by the American Bar Association and other leading legal organizations for their outstanding service and commitment to justice. When you turn to us, you can expect compassionate guidance and experience-driven advice at every step of your case.
We handle dog bite and animal attack cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no legal fees unless we win your case. There are no upfront costs and no financial barriers to accessing the experienced legal representation you deserve.
After a dog bite or animal attack in Dallas, you should seek prompt medical attention to prevent infection and address any wounds. Document your injuries with photographs and track their daily progress. Report the incident to local animal control authorities. Gather the dog owner’s contact and insurance information, and consult with an experienced dog bite lawyer in Dallas before speaking with any insurance company.
Yes. Many dog bite victims hesitate to file a claim because they do not want to pursue legal action against someone they know. However, homeowners’ and renters’ insurance policies are specifically designed to cover these situations, even when the bite was inflicted by a typically docile family dog. Filing a claim is not a personal attack on the owner but rather a way to access the insurance coverage that exists for exactly this purpose.
To recover compensation in a dog bite case in Texas, you generally need to establish one of three things: that the owner was aware of the dog’s past aggression, that the owner violated a local leash law, or that the owner negligently handled the dog in a way that led to the attack. Texas follows a “one bite rule” in some circumstances, so demonstrating prior knowledge of the dog’s dangerous tendencies is often a key element of the case.
In Texas, the statute of limitations for dog bite cases is two years from the date of the attack. If you do not file your lawsuit within this timeframe, you will lose your right to seek compensation. It is important to act quickly and contact a dog bite lawyer in Dallas as soon as possible after the incident.
If your dog bite injury claim is successful, you may be entitled to recover medical bills related to the injury, lost income and reduced earning capacity, property damage related to the incident, and compensation for pain and suffering. The severity of your injuries, the medical care you received, and the impact on your quality of life all play a role in determining the amount of compensation you may receive.
Texas law in many regions requires dogs to be on a leash when not on the owner’s property. If a dog owner allowed their animal to run free in violation of a local leash law and that dog attacked you, the owner may be held liable for your injuries. Frenkel & Frenkel can investigate the circumstances of your attack and determine whether a leash law violation contributed to your harm.
Yes. Dog attacks can cause lasting psychological trauma in addition to physical injuries. Compensation for pain and suffering, which includes emotional distress, is a recognized category of damages in personal injury cases. If you have experienced anxiety, fear, or post-traumatic stress following a dog attack, these impacts on your quality of life can be factored into your claim.
Serious dog bites can result in significant scarring, particularly on the face, neck, or body, and may require plastic surgery to reduce visible damage. These medical costs, along with any psychological therapy needed to address the trauma of the attack, are recoverable as part of your claim. Frenkel & Frenkel will fight to ensure that all of your current and future medical needs are accounted for in your compensation.
Yes. Property owners and those supervising children in neighborhoods and public parks can be held liable if they fail to protect others from a dog attack. If a dog attack occurred on someone else’s property and the property owner knew about the animal’s dangerous tendencies or failed to take reasonable precautions, they may share liability for your injuries.
Yes. Frenkel & Frenkel handles dog bite and animal attack cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no legal fees unless we win your case. Our clients do not pay any upfront costs, and we are committed to ensuring that access to experienced legal representation is never a financial barrier for injury victims.
Frenkel & Frenkel’s attorneys previously worked defending insurance companies, which gives our team a unique insider’s perspective on the tactics insurers use to minimize or deny claims. This experience allows us to anticipate and counter those strategies effectively, giving our clients a significant advantage in pursuing full and fair compensation.
Even when the dog belongs to a neighbor or acquaintance, you have the right to seek compensation for your injuries. The claim is typically filed against the dog owner’s homeowners’ or renters’ insurance policy, not directly against the individual. Frenkel & Frenkel handles these sensitive situations with professionalism and compassion, ensuring your rights are protected without unnecessary conflict.