FREE DOG BITE CASE REVIEW · DALLAS, TEXAS
Dallas 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 a walk at White Rock Lake, at a neighbor’s gate, or in an apartment breezeway? Send us what you have. We tell you what the claim needs and who might pay.
No fees or expenses unless you recover
Trial lawyerLicensed in Texas since 2002
A Dallas office.8330 LBJ Freeway, Suite 700
Free first callDay or night
NO FEES OR EXPENSES UNLESS YOU RECOVER
Bitten by a dog in Dallas?
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.
What we look at
first in a bite case.
It was 7:15 on a Saturday morning in Oak Cliff. The gate two houses down was open again, and the dog came off the porch before you saw it. Now you have 14 stitches in your forearm and a tetanus shot, and the owner says the dog has never done that before.
Did it, though? Ask the mail carrier. Ask the neighbor with the Ring camera. Look up whether someone called 311 about that dog last spring. After that we check the gate latch and pull the homeowner’s policy.
Let’s talk about your situationBoard certified, and a trial lawyer.
Check Aaron’s TBLS profile before you call. Then ask him what a Dallas County jury would want to see about this dog.
We look for the dog’s history.
Old bite reports, neighbor complaints, a Beware of Dog sign, a post about the dog lunging at kids. Any one of them can show the owner had warning.
You talk to a real person.
Ask about the ER bill, the scar, and the plastic surgeon. 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.
A rear-end collision involving a commercial van.
An employee injured by defective machinery.
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 resultsDALLAS BITE RULES
What Dallas and
Texas rules say
after a bite.
Texas rabies rules hold a dog that bit someone for a 10-day observation period, counted from the bite.
Do I have to report the bite?
Call 311, or use the Dallas 311 app. The city says anyone bitten or scratched by an animal must report it. ER doctors and clinics send their own report to Dallas Animal Services. Ask for the service request number. It is the first page of your file.
What happens to the dog?
The local rabies control authority investigates. A dog or cat that bit someone gets watched for 10 days from the bite, at a shelter, a vet, or sometimes at home. That is about rabies, not about blame.
Was the owner breaking a city rule?
Dallas City Code §7-4.14 makes it an offense to fail to secure a dog that makes an unprovoked bite away from the owner’s property. A ticket isn’t a lawsuit. It can still help show the owner was careless.
What if the dog was already declared dangerous?
Some dogs already have a record. Once a dog is declared dangerous, the owner has 30 days to register it. It has to stay on a leash or in a locked pen. The owner must carry $100,000 in coverage. Was this dog on that list? We check.
WHY CHOOSE AARON HERBERT?
What a free dog bite
case review covers.
A review is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We go through what happened, what you have, and what is still missing. Then we tell you plainly whether we can help.
From the firm: why speaking with an injury attorney matters.
Which rule fits your facts
Texas courts allow two paths. If the owner knew the dog was dangerous, the owner can be held liable for the harm it caused. If not, you can still show the owner was careless, like a broken latch or a dog off its leash at Klyde Warren Park.
Who has the insurance
Most bite claims get paid by a homeowner’s or renter’s policy, not out of the owner’s pocket. If a landlord knew about the dog, the property owner may share the blame. We ask for the policy early.
What the scar will cost
A face or hand bite can mean more than one surgery. We ask your plastic surgeon what comes next and what it costs. That number belongs in the demand.
What a child’s case needs
A bite on a child’s face can mean years of follow-up as the child grows. A scar that looks small at six can need revision at sixteen. A child’s claim usually waits on a doctor’s view of what comes next.
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 review is free. Ask us to walk through the fee with a sample number before you sign. The contract spells it out.
BEFORE YOUR REVIEW
What to bring to
your free case review.
Bring the 311 service request number, photos of the wounds, and the owner’s name and address if you have them. Missing something? Call anyway.
Pictures.
Day one, day three, day ten, then monthly. The torn sleeve. The broken leash. The gap under the fence.
The ER folder.
Discharge sheet. Tetanus record. Rabies shot dates. The plastic surgeon’s card.
Names and addresses.
Who owns the dog? Who was walking it? Who saw it happen? A neighbor’s number beats a full statement.
Anything from the owner.
Texts saying sorry. A note offering to pay the ER bill. A letter from their insurer. Don’t answer the insurer until we have read it.
Many home cameras keep clips for only a few weeks. Ask neighbors to save theirs now. We can send a written request too.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CLAIM
How the claim
gets built.
One piece at a time.
Texas has no single dog bite statute for civil claims. The claim rests on court-made rules, so it gets built from proof.
What did the owner know?
In Marshall v. Ranne (Tex. 1974), the Texas Supreme Court said an owner who knew, or should have known, an animal was vicious is liable for the harm it does. That case was about a hog. Courts use the same rule for dogs, and a past bite or a warning to the mail carrier can prove it.
What did the owner do?
No history? Look at the yard. A gap under the fence on a street in Lakewood. A dog left loose while the family was at work. A walker who couldn’t hold the leash. Carelessness can carry the claim by itself.
What did the bite cost you?
Stitches, a rabies series, scar revision, missed shifts. A fear of dogs that keeps your son off the playground. Each loss needs a record behind it.
Read about the full practice on our Dallas dog bite lawyer page, and see what owners must know in our guide to Texas’s one-bite rule. If the owner rents, read about landlord and business liability. If a child was bitten, see dog attacks on Dallas children. To see how damages get valued, read about Texas injury claim value. Bitten in Tarrant County? Visit our Fort Worth dog bite page.
CLEAR ANSWERS. A BETTER NEXT STEP.
Dog bite case
review questions.
Your situation is unique.
We’re here to listen.
Does the case review cost anything?
Nothing. The review is free, and if you hire us there is no fee or expense unless you recover. We’ll show you a sample split before you sign.
How long do I have to file?
Two years from the bite for most adults. A child’s clock usually starts at 18 (CPRC §16.001). Doorbell video is gone in weeks, though, so don’t wait on the statute. See CPRC §16.003 ↗.
The dog never bit anyone before. Do I still have a case?
Then we skip the known-danger rule and look at carelessness. A latch the owner never fixed. A collar that slipped. A dog left loose on a street in Lakewood.
The owner is my friend. Will they have to pay me themselves?
Usually a homeowner’s or renter’s policy pays, not the friend. Some policies exclude certain dogs or set low limits, so we read the policy first.
The owner says I provoked the dog.
Owners say this often. Reaching to pet a dog that wagged its tail isn’t the same as hitting it. Texas also splits fault by percentage, and more than 50% on you bars recovery. See CPRC §33.001 ↗.
Do I need a doctor for a small bite?
Puncture wounds look small and close fast. Bacteria get trapped underneath. A doctor also makes the call on rabies shots, and the chart from that visit is the first proof you were hurt.
Should I take the insurer’s first offer?
Wait until you know whether the scar needs more surgery. A release usually ends the claim for good. Have the terms reviewed first.
What happens after I ask for a review?
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.