We are often asked, ‘Can I claim compensation if I’m bitten by a police dog?’ The answer is that you can make a compensation claim if the police were at fault.
Our team regularly recovers compensation for innocent victims of police dog attacks and will be able to let you know whether you are likely to have a claim. All you need to do is call our free legal helpline and we will review your case completely free of charge. We will also be able to tell you if No Win, No Fee funding is available.
We are proud of our track record of success in recovering compensation for police dog attacks, and you will find many real-life case studies on this website.
In one recent case we won compensation for our client, who for confidentiality reasons we will refer to as Mr A.
Late one night, Mr A was at home with his family when he noticed a shadowy figure attempting to gain access to his work van. He immediately contacted the police. While waiting for them to arrive the perpetrator gave up on his attempt to break into the van. Mr A went outside to evaluate the damage to his vehicle and move it to a more secure location. He took a baseball bat with him for protection.
While outside an unmarked police vehicle appeared in front of his driveway. It was only when an officer began shouting through the window that Mr A realised the vehicle belonged to the police and that they had incorrectly assumed he was the perpetrator of the crime. The officer shouted for the bat to be dropped. Mr A complied and identified himself as the owner of the van.
The officer left his vehicle to speak with Mr A, leaving his car door open. It was at this point that a police dog escaped from the vehicle through the open car door and lunged at Mr A, biting down on his forearm. He sustained multiple lacerations, requiring a tetanus vaccination and stitches. The injury subsequently left permanent scarring to his forearm.
Mr A consulted us, asking the question,’Can I claim compensation if I’m bitten by a police dog?’
We told him that in these circumstances he could make a claim and agreed to deal with it on a No Win, No Fee basis.
We presented the claim on the basis that the police officer should have taken greater care to secure the dog. We also alleged that the police dog itself had been inadequately trained, The police soon admitted fault and a satisfactory out of court settlement was reached.