Ramie Shalabi | August 7, 2020 | Dog Bites
This article was originally written in August 2020 and was last updated in April 2026.
Yes. Dog bites often have severe consequences, such as lacerations, puncture wounds, scarring, nerve damage, and emotional trauma.
What many people don’t expect is how quickly a dog bite can turn into something more serious than it first seems.
Even smaller bites can lead to infections, lingering pain, or scarring that doesn’t fully heal the way you hoped. There’s also the emotional side of it. Some people feel uneasy around dogs long after the incident, even if they never had that fear before.
It’s not just about the moment it happened. It’s about how it continues to affect you afterward.
That’s why it’s important to take it seriously from the start and understand your options moving forward.
In South Carolina, there is strict liability for dog bite cases. In other words, the dog owner will almost always be responsible for your injuries so long as you were allowed to be at the place where you were bitten (you were not trespassing) and you did not provoke the dog.
Most times, the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance policy will cover your injuries. You may be entitled to some or all of the following:
- Payment of past, current, and future medical bills
- Compensation for emotional and psychological trauma
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for permanent scarring
- Payment for plastic surgery that may be needed in the future
- Lost wages
You should consult with the Columbia dog bite lawyers and Charleston dog bite lawyers at Dayson Shalabi Burkett Law Firm, LLC, to learn about how they can help you navigate the system to find the right insurance policy to go after and then to obtain the compensation you deserve as a result of your dog bite. Call us at 803-973-0304 to discuss your case.
Ramie Shalabi is an experienced personal injury and workers’ compensation attorney who represents injured people across the state of South Carolina.