Dog Bite Injuries

Whenever any person is bitten or otherwise attacked by a dog while the person is in a public place or is lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog or other person having the dog in his care or keeping, the owner of the dog or other person having the dog in his care or keeping is liable for the damages suffered…. If a person provokes a dog into attacking him then the owner of the dog is not liable.

South Carolina Code Ann. §47-3-110

As you can read, in South Carolina, our statutory law provides that a dog owner or keeper is responsible for any injuries that his dog causes so long as you had a legal right to be on the property at the time of the attack and were not provoking the dog. It is important to realize that this statute protects you even if you are in another person’s home and their dog bites or attacks you. So long as you had permission to be there and were not provoking the dog, the dog owner or keeper is liable to you for your injuries. Additionally, in many cases, the homeowner’s insurance policy of the owner or keeper of the dog will provide coverage for the claim or lawsuit. At the law office of Richard S. Stewart, we have handled numerous dog bite cases and know what needs to be done in order to obtain the best result for you.