Many parents take extra precautions when they are out with their small children and see dogs off their leashes. Though some Illinois dog owners take their responsibilities seriously, others fail to properly train and restrain their pets to prevent them from causing harm to others. Children are common victims of dog bites and dog attacks because they are small targets for aggressive animals and are often drawn to the seemingly fun appearance of active animals.
Generally, dog owners are responsible for managing their pets and preventing them from causing injuries to others. However, there is a recognized exception to this rule that can pass blame back to a victim. If a dog bite victim instigates or torments a dog into action, then that victim may not be able to recover for the damages they provoked out of the involved animal.
To this end, children can sometimes be active in their affection for animals and may, unintentionally, provoke them into attacking. This difficult situation places at a crossroads the responsibility of a pet owner to maintain control over their animal and the actions of a victim with regard to provocation.
Dog bite and animal attack cases involving children can be incredibly difficult because children often lack the requisite intent to provoke or instigate animals into attacking them. They may only want to be near the animals that could end up hurting them, and these issues leave courts will hard cases to sort out as they seek to award personal injury damages to victims. Lawyers can guide dog bite victims and their families through the complexities of their claims.