FREE DOG BITE CASE REVIEW · FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Fort Worth Dog Bite
Case Review
Aaron A. Herbert is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. What board certification means
Bitten on the Trinity Trails, at a neighbor’s fence, or delivering a package in Keller? Get a free review of the bite, the dog’s history, and whose insurance should pay.
No fees or expenses unless you recover
Trial lawyerLicensed in Texas since 2002
A Fort Worth office.4200 South Freeway, Suite 412
Free first callDay or night
NO FEES OR EXPENSES UNLESS YOU RECOVER
Bitten by a dog in Fort Worth?
A free conversation can help you understand your next step.
IN OUR CLIENTS’ WORDS
Personal attention.
Remembered by our clients.
Communication was above and beyond!
Aaron was awesome, polite and patient.
I am very content, outstanding staff
Excerpts from testimonials published by the firm. Individual experiences vary; these are not promises of a particular result.
KNOW WHO IS IN YOUR CORNER
Aaron A. Herbert
Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law
Texas Board of Legal Specialization
YOUR RECOVERY. OUR FOCUS.
How we build
your dog bite claim.
You were jogging the Trinity Trails near Rockwood Park just after six. A dog with no leash came off a side path and caught your calf. The owner jogged up, grabbed the collar, said sorry, and was gone before you got a name.
First job: put a name on the owner. Trail regulars know the dogs. The Rockwood Park lot may have a camera, and Nextdoor is full of posts about loose dogs. With a name, we check what the owner knew and what the owner did.
Let’s talk about your situationTrial-focused representation.
Look up Aaron Herbert’s board certification on the State Bar of Texas site. Then ask how we would show a Tarrant County jury what this owner knew.
We dig into the dog’s past.
Animal control records, a neighbor who got nipped last year, a delivery driver who stopped going to that porch. Any of it can show the owner had a warning.
You get a real person.
Bring your questions about the ER bill, the rabies shots, and the scar. You will know who handles your file and how to reach them.
A RECORD OF ADVOCACY
Real cases.
Meaningful results.
Selected outcomes published by the Law Firm of Aaron A. Herbert. Every case begins with its own facts.
A fall involving a defective walkway at a private event venue.
A pedestrian struck by a van in a crosswalk.
A grocery-store fall involving a substance on the floor.
An employee injured by defective machinery.
A rear-end collision involving a commercial van.
A collision involving a tractor-trailer that failed to control its speed.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Figures are as published by the firm, not amounts clients necessarily received after fees and expenses.
View all published resultsFORT WORTH AND TARRANT COUNTY
What Texas law
says after a bite
in Fort Worth.
$100,000. That is the least liability coverage Texas requires once a dog has been declared dangerous.
Who do I report the bite to?
Texas law says anyone who knows of a bite that could carry rabies must report it to the local rabies control authority. In Fort Worth that is the city’s Animal Care & Control. The report should include the victim’s and owner’s names and addresses.
How long is the dog held?
Ten days from the bite. Shelter, vet clinic, or the owner’s backyard if the officer signs off. Ask where the dog went. The quarantine paperwork usually lists who owns it.
What if the dog was already declared dangerous?
Then the owner had 30 days to register it, keep it leashed or in a locked pen, and carry $100,000 in coverage. An owner who knows the dog is dangerous can face a felony if it gets out of its pen and seriously hurts someone.
Where would my case be filed?
Most Fort Worth injury suits go to Tarrant County’s civil district courts. They sit in the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building at 100 N. Calhoun Street. A jury there decides fault and damages if the claim doesn’t settle.
WHY CHOOSE AARON HERBERT?
Choosing a Fort Worth
dog bite attorney.
Ask three things on the first call. Who will work your file? How would we find out what the owner knew? How does the fee work?
From the firm: why speaking with an injury attorney matters.
A board-certified trial lawyer
Aaron is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. You can check it on the State Bar of Texas website. We encourage it.
Two ways to prove it
If the owner knew the dog was vicious, Texas courts can hold the owner liable for the harm. If not, you can still prove carelessness. A broken latch in Ridglea or a dog loose at a Saginaw ballfield both count.
We find the policy
Most bites get paid by a homeowner’s or renter’s policy. A landlord who knew about the dog may be on the hook too. We ask for the coverage early.
We price the scar
A bite on the face or hand can mean more than one surgery. We ask your plastic surgeon what comes next and what it will cost.
We take the adjuster’s calls
Once you hire us, the insurer calls us, not you. Bring every letter and text you have gotten so far. We will read them first.
No fees or expenses unless you recover
The first meeting is free. Ask us to walk through the fee with a sample number before you sign. The contract spells it out.
AFTER A DOG BITE
What to bring to
your free consultation.
Bring photos of the wound, your ER papers, and anything you know about the owner. Don’t have much yet? Call anyway.
Get the bite treated.
Go to urgent care or the ER the same day. Puncture wounds can trap bacteria. The doctor also decides if you need rabies shots.
Report it.
Call Fort Worth Animal Care & Control and ask for the report number. If police came, write down the officer’s name too.
Photograph everything.
The bite on day one and every few days after. Torn jeans, a broken leash, the gap in the fence. Keep the pictures in one album.
Hold off on the insurer.
Don’t give a recorded statement or sign a release for the owner’s insurance company until a lawyer has read it.
Many home cameras save clips for only a few weeks. Ask neighbors to download theirs now. We can send a written request too.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CLAIM
A bite is the start
of the claim.
The proof decides it.
Texas has no general dog bite statute for civil claims. Court-made rules decide who pays. We start with three questions.
Did the owner know?
The Texas Supreme Court set the rule in Marshall v. Ranne (Tex. 1974). An owner who knew, or should have known, an animal was vicious answers for the harm it does. A past bite proves it. So can growling at the fence every day.
Was the owner careless?
No bite history? Then look at what the owner did that day. A gate propped open in Wedgwood. A leash wrapped around a wrist that slipped. A 70-pound dog walked by a 10-year-old.
What did it cost you?
Your ER bill. A round of rabies shots. A scar revision your surgeon wants to do next spring. Missed shifts at work. And a daughter who now crosses the street when she sees that house.
Start with our guide to Texas’s one-bite rule and our overview of Texas dog bite laws. If a child was bitten, read about dog attacks on children. If the owner rents, see landlord and business liability. Bitten in Dallas County? Visit our Dallas dog bite lawyer page or ask for a free Dallas dog bite case review. For other injuries, see our Fort Worth personal injury page. For the full overview, see our Fort Worth dog bite lawyer page.
CLEAR ANSWERS. A BETTER NEXT STEP.
Dog bite
questions.
Your situation is unique.
We’re here to listen.
Does it cost anything to talk with your firm?
The first talk is free. If you hire us, you pay no fee or expenses unless you recover. Ask how the money would split on a sample settlement.
How long do I have to file a dog bite lawsuit?
Usually two years from the bite. For a child, the clock generally waits until age 18 (CPRC §16.001). Video and witnesses fade much sooner. See CPRC §16.003 ↗.
What if it was my child who was bitten?
A bite on a child’s face can mean years of follow-up, and the scar grows with them. We ask the surgeon about revisions as the child grows. Counseling for fear of dogs counts too.
What if the dog owner is a friend or relative?
In most cases a homeowner’s or renter’s policy pays, not your friend. We deal with the insurance company so you don’t have to argue with family.
What if their insurance won’t cover it?
Read the declarations page first. Some homeowner policies carve out certain dogs or cap dog-bite claims low. Then look wider: an umbrella policy, the landlord, or a business that kept the dog on site.
The owner says I provoked the dog. Now what?
Owners say it a lot. Stepping onto a sidewalk isn’t provoking a dog. Texas also splits fault by percentage, and more than 50% on you bars recovery. See CPRC §33.001 ↗.
Should I accept the first settlement offer?
Wait until you know whether the scar needs more surgery. Signing a release usually ends the claim for good. Have the terms reviewed first.
What happens after I contact your firm?
Someone from our team calls you back. We ask what happened and how you are healing. If we can help, we explain the contract. If not, we tell you why.
FIGHTING FOR THE SERIOUSLY INJURED
Ready to take
your next step?
Tell us what happened. We’ll help you understand your options.
No fees or expenses unless you recover.