After a dog bite in Chicago, you have certain rights under the Illinois Animal Control Act. This law holds dog owners strictly liable for injuries their animals cause. This means you do not have to prove the owner was careless or negligent to pursue compensation for your medical bills and other damages.
However, securing that compensation involves specific, time-sensitive actions. There are reporting requirements with Chicago Animal Care and Control and challenging discussions with insurance companies. The timeline for preserving evidence—like security footage or witness memories—is surprisingly short.
This process should not be your burden to bear while you are recovering from a traumatic event. The responsibility of building a claim, from filing the official reports to documenting injuries and negotiating with insurers, is something our firm handles for you. You do not have to figure this out on your own.
Call the Chicago dog bite attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. today for a free consultation at (312) 924-7575.
What Does the Law Say About Dog Bites in Illinois?
Illinois' "Strict Liability" Dog Bite Law
Illinois law simplifies the question of fault through a legal concept called strict liability.
In plain English: It means that if a dog injures someone, the owner is held responsible for the victim's civil damages. It doesn't matter if the owner knew the dog had a history of aggression or if they took what they believed were reasonable steps to restrain it. The fact that the dog caused an injury is typically enough to establish the owner's responsibility.
This principle is clearly outlined in the Illinois Animal Control Act, the state law that governs these incidents.
What Does Being "Lawfully Present" Mean?
The owner's liability under the Act applies as long as you were "peaceably conducting [yourself] in any place where [you] may lawfully be."
This covers a wide range of scenarios. It includes being on public property like a sidewalk or in a public park. It also includes being lawfully on private property. For example, you are lawfully present if you are an invited guest, a mail carrier delivering a package, a utility worker reading a meter, or a delivery driver dropping off food. This stands in contrast to someone who is trespassing, which could affect the owner's liability.
You've Been Bitten. What Are the Next Steps From Home?
The First Priority: Your Health and Well-being
Your immediate and ongoing focus after an attack should be on getting the necessary medical attention. Follow your doctor's advice, attend all follow-up appointments, and take your health seriously. Documenting your injuries with a healthcare provider serves two purposes: it is paramount for your physical recovery, and it also creates an official record that becomes a cornerstone of your legal claim.
The Official Report: Why It Matters and How We Handle It
Illinois law requires that dog bites be reported to the local animal control authority. In Chicago, thisstep triggers an important public health process, including a mandatory 10-day observation period for the animal to check for signs of rabies.
You do not need to worry about identifying the correct city department or figuring out what information to provide. This is not your job. Our team will manage this for you. We will file the formal report with Chicago Animal Care and Control, ensuring all legal and procedural requirements are met on your behalf while you focus on healing.
Gathering the Threads: How We Build Your Case from Day One
A strong case is built on solid, verifiable evidence. But gathering it is a significant burden when you are injured, in pain, and trying to manage your daily life. Instead of you having to track down neighbors or return to the scene to take pictures, our investigators will take on this work immediately.
Our process includes:
- Identifying and interviewing witnesses who saw what happened.
- Photographing your injuries throughout the healing process to document their severity and progression over time.
- Obtaining security or doorbell camera footage from nearby homes or businesses that may have captured the attack.
- Investigating the dog’s history by checking public records and other sources for prior incidents of aggression or complaints.
The Clock is Ticking: Why You Must Act Quickly
Many people believe they have plenty of time to decide whether to pursue a legal claim. While there are official deadlines, the practical realities of a personal injury case create a much greater sense of urgency.
More Than Just a Statute of Limitations
Every personal injury case has a legal deadline for filing a lawsuit, which is known as the statute of limitations. For most personal injuries in Illinois, this window is two years from the date of the incident. While that may sound like a long time, it is dangerously misleading.
The Practical Deadlines Are Much Shorter
The truth is that the time you have to build a strong case is much, much shorter. Evidence has a way of disappearing with alarming speed.
Witnesses move away or their memories of the event fade and become less reliable. Security camera footage, which can provide indisputable proof, is typically automatically overwritten in a matter of days or weeks. The trail to identifying an unknown dog's owner can go cold very quickly.
This is why we stress the need to call a lawyer now. The sooner we can begin a formal investigation, the better our ability to preserve the evidence needed to build a compelling claim for you.
What Compensation Can Be Pursued After a Dog Attack?
Our firm will pursue the maximum compensation available under Illinois law for all the ways the attack has affected your life. This doesn’t just include the initial emergency room bill. It compensates you for the total physical, emotional, and financial impact of the incident.
Medical Costs: Past, Present, and Future
This includes full reimbursement for all medical treatment related to the bite. We will account for everything, including emergency services, hospital stays, reconstructive or plastic surgery for scarring, prescription medications, physical therapy, and psychological counseling for trauma.
Lost Income and Diminished Earning Capacity
If the injury forced you to miss work, we will pursue compensation for those lost wages. Some injuries are so severe that they permanently affect a person's ability to perform their job or earn a living in the future. In these cases, we will seek damages for that loss of future earning capacity.
The Invisible Wounds: Pain, Suffering, and Emotional Distress
A dog attack leaves more than just physical scars. The emotional and psychological toll can be immense and long-lasting. We will pursue compensation for the physical pain, emotional trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and any resulting phobias, fear, or anxiety you experience.
Disfigurement and Scarring
Scars, particularly on visible areas like the face, neck, arms, or hands, can have a lasting impact on a person's confidence and quality of life. Illinois law allows victims to seek significant compensation for permanent disfigurement resulting from an injury.
Why Dog Bites Are a Growing Concern in Chicago
Chicago consistently ranks among the top U.S. cities for dog attacks, a situation that has been amplified in recent years.
A City on High Alert
In one recent year, the city saw 59 attacks on mail carriers alone, placing it second in the nation. This was partly due to a surge in pandemic-related home deliveries, which put more people in contact with residential pets. Since then, Chicago has remained one of the worst cities for these incidents.
The Statewide Picture
The issue is not confined to the city limits. The problem of dog bite incidents extends across Illinois, which ranked sixth nationally with 290 reported dog attacks in that same year as mentioned above. This translated into 258 insurance claims for dog bites that same year, resulting in $12.6 million paid to victims.
An Increasing Risk for Postal Workers and Delivery Drivers
As Chicago has seen a boom in e-commerce and home deliveries, the people who bring packages to our doors face a heightened risk. Postal workers, gig-economy delivery drivers, and other courier service personnel are uniquely vulnerable to dog attacks.
If you were bitten while performing your job duties, your case may involve more than just a standard personal injury claim. Depending on your employment status, you may also have a claim under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (for U.S. Postal Service employees) or a state workers' compensation claim.
These cases can involve intersecting legal systems with different rules and deadlines. Our firm has experience with these types of claims. We will work to ensure that all available avenues for compensation are pursued on your behalf.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chicago Dog Bite Claims
What happens to the dog after it bites someone in Chicago?
Under city and state regulations, the dog must be confined and observed by a veterinarian for 10 days to rule out rabies. After this period, and once the animal is vaccinated and microchipped at the owner's expense, the dog is typically returned to the owner. Further action, such as a "dangerous animal" designation, depends on the severity of the attack and the dog's prior history.
Can I still have a case if I don't know who the dog's owner is?
This situation can make a case more challenging, but not necessarily impossible. It highlights, once again, the importance of acting quickly. Our investigators can canvass the neighborhood, speak to residents, check for local surveillance video, and search for other evidence that might help identify the owner before the trail goes cold.
The owner's insurance company called me. What should I do?
You should not speak to an insurance adjuster or sign any documents without first consulting with a lawyer. The adjuster's job is to protect the insurance company's financial interests, which means minimizing the value of your claim. Simply and politely decline to give a statement and refer them to your attorney. We will handle all communications with the insurance company for you.
How much does it cost to hire a dog bite lawyer at Abels & Annes, P.C.?
We handle personal injury cases, including dog bite claims, on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay us nothing upfront. We only receive a fee if and when we win your case and recover compensation for you. Our fee is a percentage of the amount we obtain on your behalf.
I was bitten at a friend's or family member's house. Do I have to sue them?
This is a very common and understandable concern. In the overwhelming majority of these cases, a claim is not filed against the person directly but against their homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. These insurance policies exist specifically to cover these types of incidents. This allows you to get fair compensation for your significant injuries without creating personal financial hardship for your friend or relative.
Let Us Shoulder the Burden for You
Let our Chicago personal injury lawyers manage the legal details, the insurance negotiations, the evidence gathering, and the case-building process.
Your job is to heal. Ours is to handle the rest.
For a free, no-obligation discussion about your case and to learn more about the legal steps for victims of dog bite incidents in Chicago, call Abels & Annes, P.C. at (312) 924-7575.
David Abels
Partner
David Abels has carved a niche for himself in the personal injury law sector, dedicating a substantial part of his career since 1997 to representing victims of various accidents. With a law practice that spans over two decades, his expertise has been consistently recognized within the legal community.
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