You may suffer personal injury due to an animal suddenly crossing the road, knocking you over, attacking you or sometimes just being nearby In most situations, you will then be entitled to compensation. We will tell you exactly how on this page.
Dog bite
Have you suffered damage from a dog bite? If you have been bitten by a dog, it can have serious...
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Dog bite
Suppose you enter a ‘private property’ and are bitten by the dog. Perhaps you may have wanted to greet the...
Read this blogYou have suffered personal injury caused by an animal. Our lawyers have extensive experience in successfully handling cases where animals have caused personal injury. You heal, while your personal lawyer claims the maximum compensation for you. Contact us today. Leave your name and phone number on the contact form. Tell us your story. One of our lawyers will call you back the same working day.
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Suppose you go jogging every Saturday in the park in your neighbourhood. In that park, many dogs run loose. You have never experienced this as annoying, until you are bitten in your ankle by an unleashed quadruped. Can you then hold the owner liable for your personal injury?
The short answer is yes. The owner of a dog is almost always responsible for the four-legged friend’s behaviour. Every dog owner faces strict liability. This applies even if the dog is with a dog walking service or with a neighbour’s child. An exception is if the dog attacks a burglar when the owner is not at home.
Do you get caught in a leash because the owner cannot control a playful puppy? Does a dog suddenly run into the cycle path, startling you and causing you to fall off your bike? Or does a large 80-kilo St Bernard run you over? Even then, the owner can be held liable for the personal injury caused by the animal.
Suppose you go to the riding school every week to ride horses. You have saddled the horse and are ready to go. The moment you want to mount the horse, the animal is startled by a stray pigeon and you fall to the ground in an ugly way. Can you then hold the riding school liable for the personal injury caused by the animal?
In most cases, the answer is yes. Even if the general terms and conditions of the riding centre state that your personal injury claim will not be compensated if you are injured while riding. This is, in fact, not legally valid. You will sometimes have to deal with a percentage of own fault, because you know that there is a risk that a horse might suddenly become frightened and therefore start rearing, kicking or galloping. Still, you will usually get most of your damages compensated. In these situations, the horse may not belong to the manager owner, but to a private owner. In that case, you can hold the private owner liable for your personal injury.
Are you bitten by or kicked by a mare, are you knocked over by a playful stallion or does a foal suddenly bolt into the road causing you to crash your car into a tree? Even then, you are entitled to compensation from the equestrian centre owner or the owner of the horse.
Do you have a child under 14 who takes riding lessons at the riding school and is injured during one of these lessons? If so, your child is almost always entitled to full compensation for damages incurred. Young children often cannot yet assess the danger of horse riding. Therefore, there is often no percentage of own fault here.
Suppose you are visiting your neighbours. Frits the cat usually loves attention and often comes to sit on your lap. This time he is sitting in the window sill. You decide to pet him. Unfortunately, you missed the warning signals and suddenly have a deep bite wound in your hand. Can you then hold your neighbours liable for your personal injury?
Again, the short answer is yes. Your neighbours are responsible for the cat’s behaviour. Like every dog owner, every cat owner faces strict liability.
Are you attacked on the street by a tomcat infesting the neighbourhood or do you fall off your scooter after hitting a cat that suddenly slipped into the road? Then you can also hold the owner liable for the personal injury caused by the animal.
Suppose you go on holiday in your own country for a fortnight. You have chosen a beautiful cottage on a holiday park in the middle of the forest. All over the park, there are large oak trees with benches on which you can sit to enjoy nature. Unfortunately, after a few days, you suddenly suffer from unbearable itching, red bumps and flu-like symptoms. When you check all that you have done, it turns out that there is an oak processionary caterpillar nest in one of the trees above your favourite bench. Can you then hold the park owner liable for the personal injury caused by these animals?
Again, in this type of situation, the short answer is yes. The park owner must actively control oak processionary caterpillar nests. Moreover, your personal injury could have been prevented if there was no bench under the tree or at least a warning sign had warned of the danger. It is important that you can prove this. Therefore, always take photos of the site of the accident so that you have evidence.
Have you suffered complaints due to the presence of oak processionary caterpillars in a forest or park near you? If so, you can claim compensation from the manager of the forest or park. This is usually the municipality. Again, it is important that you gather evidence to show that the manager has not fulfilled his duty of care: warning about oak processionary caterpillars.
Suppose you are driving back home across the Veluwe. Suddenly, a wild animal crosses the road. Your headlights shine brightly on the startled head of a deer. Unfortunately, you can no longer brake, try to swerve due to fright and end up in the crash barrier. Can you then hold someone liable for the personal injury caused by the animal?
Wild animals do not have an owner. They live in forests where there is a forester around, but who is not responsible for the animals’ behaviour. The only way you can still claim compensation is if you have passenger damage insurance (SVI) cover. This is because a unilateral accident is covered by this cover.
Could you no longer swerve and hit the wild animal? Then you can also claim compensation if you have passenger accident insurance.
Suppose your child goes to play at a neighbour’s house who has a pet rat, rabbit or hamster. Your child has played with the fluffy animal before and it went well. One day, things go wrong and he gets bitten in his finger. Can you then hold the neighbours liable for your child’s personal injury? Again, strict liability applies to the owner of the animal. So, in most cases, your neighbours have to compensate your child’s damage.
In the above examples, we always assume that the owner of the dog, cat or horse can be traced. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. If a cat goes exploring and is hit 10 kilometres away, it becomes almost impossible to find the owner if the cat is not microchipped. The same goes for an accident involving a runaway horse or loose dog that runs off after the accident. In those situations, it is unfortunately not possible to recover your damages.
It can sometimes be difficult to claim your personal injury damages for an accident involving an animal. Sometimes because you know the other party, sometimes because the other party’s insurer is uncooperative. Fortunately, you can come to us for free legal assistance in personal injury cases. This is because the other party must reimburse our out-of-court costs.
Therefore, choose our legal assistance for personal injury caused by an animal. Even if it involves your own insurer in the case of passenger accident insurance. This way, you can be sure you will get the compensation you are entitled to.
Want to know whether you can recover your damages from the animal owner, the park manager or your own insurer? Then get in touch with us using the contact form. Enter your name and phone number. Tell us about the accident and the personal injury you suffered because of the animal. We will call you back the same working day.
What happened?
Fill in the contact form below and receive free, no-obligation advice from our experts!
