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Contact Us TodayMost dogs are part of the family. But when a dog bites, the injury can be serious. Maybe you were bitten while walking through a neighborhood in Boiling Springs, visiting someone’s home off East Main Street, delivering a package near Reidville Road, or standing in a common area outside an apartment complex near Asheville Highway.
Some bites heal quickly. Others lead to emergency medical care, stitches, infection, nerve damage, permanent scarring, disfigurement, and emotional trauma. A child bitten near a playground, a jogger attacked near a neighborhood sidewalk, or a worker bitten while walking up to a front porch may be left with more than a simple wound.
If you were bitten by a dog in Spartanburg or the surrounding area, you may have the right to seek compensation. The first step is understanding what happened, who owned or controlled the dog, where the bite occurred, and what medical care you needed.
The Law Office of Tyler Rody gives serious attention to serious injury cases. If a dog bite has affected your health, your work, your child, or your daily life, our office can help you understand your rights and deal with the insurance company.
In many cases, yes. South Carolina does not follow the old “one-bite” rule, where a dog owner gets one free pass before being held responsible. Instead, South Carolina follows a strict liability rule for dog bites and dog attacks.
In plain terms, this means a dog owner, or the person responsible for keeping or controlling the dog, may be liable if:
That means you may not have to prove that the dog previously bit someone or that the owner already knew the dog was dangerous. The focus is often on where the bite happened, whether you had a lawful right to be there, who owned or controlled the dog, whether the dog was provoked, and what injuries resulted.
For example, a person may have a claim after being bitten while visiting a friend’s home in Spartanburg, walking near Cleveland Park, delivering food in Boiling Springs, or standing in a shared area at an apartment community in Duncan or Roebuck.
Being attacked by a dog can be painful, frightening, and disorienting. After the bite, your first priority should be your health and safety.
If you or a loved one has been bitten by a dog, consider taking these steps:
If the bite happened inside Spartanburg city limits, in an unincorporated part of Spartanburg County, or in a nearby community like Inman, Duncan, or Woodruff, the reporting process may involve different responding agencies. A lawyer can help identify what reports may exist and how to get them.
A dog bite claim is often built through details. Photos taken on the day of the bite, follow-up photos showing bruising or scarring, medical records, and witness information can all help show what happened and how the injury affected you.
Dog bites are different from many other injury cases because infection can become a major issue. Even a bite that looks small at first may become swollen, painful, or infected in the days that follow.
Medical care can help treat the wound, reduce the risk of infection, and create documentation that connects your injuries to the attack. If your doctor recommends follow-up care, wound treatment, medication, scar treatment, physical therapy, or a specialist visit, it is important to follow that plan.
Insurance companies may argue that a bite was minor, that the victim healed quickly, or that later complications were unrelated. Medical records help show the actual impact of the injury.
Not every dog bite requires a legal claim. But when a bite causes medical treatment, missed work, scarring, infection, or emotional distress, compensation may be available.
A dog bite claim may include compensation for:
The value of a dog bite claim depends on the specific facts. A minor puncture wound is different from a bite that causes permanent scarring, a serious infection, nerve damage, or visible injuries to a child’s face, arm, hand, or leg.
Dog bites can happen almost anywhere, including public spaces, private homes, apartment communities, sidewalks, parks, and neighborhood streets.
A bite may happen during a walk in Boiling Springs, at a home near East Main Street, near Cleveland Park or Duncan Park, outside an apartment community near Reidville Road, or while visiting relatives in Inman, Duncan, Roebuck, Woodruff, or Gaffney.
The location can matter. It may help identify witnesses, determine who controlled the property, show whether the victim was lawfully present, and establish which animal control or law enforcement agency may have responded.
After a dog bite, it can be hard to think clearly. But the evidence you gather early can make a difference later.
Helpful evidence may include:
If the bite happened near a business, apartment complex, neighborhood entrance, or public area, there may also be camera footage, property management records, or witnesses who saw the dog before or after the attack.
If you were unable to gather this information at the scene, that does not mean you do not have a claim. A lawyer can help investigate and collect information after the fact.
South Carolina law is favorable to many dog bite victims, but there are exceptions.
You may have a more difficult claim if the dog owner argues that you provoked, harassed, or teased the dog before the bite. Provocation is one of the most common defenses in dog bite cases.
Claims involving trained law enforcement dogs can also involve special rules and exceptions, especially when the dog was being used in connection with police duties.
Insurance companies may also dispute whether the victim was lawfully on the property, whether the dog actually caused the injury, or whether the claimed damages are connected to the bite. These arguments are one reason it helps to speak with a lawyer before dealing with the insurance company on your own.
In many dog bite cases, compensation may come from the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance policy. That does not mean the process is simple.
The insurance company may investigate where the bite happened, whether the dog was excluded from coverage, whether the owner or keeper is covered, whether the victim provoked the dog, and how serious the injuries are.
A Spartanburg dog bite lawyer can help identify possible insurance coverage, communicate with the insurance company, and work to document the full value of the claim.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, and every case depends on its own facts. But real case results can help show the kinds of injury claims Tyler Rody has handled.
For additional settlements and verdicts, visit our Notable Cases page.
These results are specific to the facts of those cases. They do not guarantee or predict the outcome of any other case.
“Dog bite cases are often more serious than people expect. It is not just the bite itself. It is the infection risk, the scarring, the pain, the fear, and the way the insurance company may try to make it sound minor. If a dog bite required medical care or left a lasting injury, it deserves to be taken seriously.”
If your injury did not happen because of a dog bite, the Law Office of Tyler Rody may still be able to help. Explore our related practice areas:
Dog bite injuries should not be taken lightly. If you were bitten and needed medical attention, you should speak with an attorney about your rights.
There is a limited time to file a dog bite claim in South Carolina. The sooner your attorney can begin working on your case, the easier it may be to gather evidence, identify insurance coverage, and document the full impact of your injury.
To learn more about your right to compensation, contact the Law Office of Tyler Rody today. The consultation is free, and you will not pay unless we win.
No. South Carolina does not require every dog to get “one bite” before the owner can be held responsible. In many cases, the owner or keeper of the dog may be liable even if the dog had never bitten anyone before.
Yes, you may have a claim if you were lawfully on the property and did not provoke the dog. This may include invited guests, delivery workers, service providers, and others who had a lawful reason to be there.
Provocation is a common defense in dog bite cases. The insurance company may argue that you teased, threatened, startled, or bothered the dog. A lawyer can help gather evidence and push back if that argument does not match what happened.
Dog bite claims involving children can be especially serious because children are more likely to suffer facial injuries, scarring, and emotional trauma. If your child was bitten, get medical care quickly and speak with an attorney before dealing with insurance.
In many cases, the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance may provide coverage. The available coverage depends on the policy, the facts of the bite, and whether any exclusions apply.
You may have more than one possible claim. Depending on the facts, you may have a workers’ compensation claim and a separate injury claim against the dog owner or another responsible party. This can happen to delivery drivers, postal workers, utility workers, home health workers, landscapers, maintenance workers, and service providers who are lawfully on property in Spartanburg, Boiling Springs, Duncan, Inman, or nearby communities.
You may still have a claim against the dog owner or keeper. In some cases, there may also be questions about whether a landlord, property manager, or apartment community knew about prior problems with the dog. These cases can be fact-specific. A bite in a shared hallway, parking lot, dog area, or common green space may raise different issues than a bite inside someone’s private residence.
In many South Carolina personal injury cases, the general deadline is three years. However, some cases may involve different rules. It is better to ask questions early so evidence can be preserved and deadlines are not missed.
Not before understanding the full extent of your injuries. Once you settle, you usually cannot ask for more later, even if the bite becomes infected, leaves permanent scarring, or requires additional treatment.
