Bitten by dog, person wont pay.

L

LinuxKing

Registered User
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Okay this might seem petty but it's really getting on my nerves. Long story short, got bitten by a dog, was cycling on public road, reported to guards (cos the woman wouldnt answer the door to me)... she rang me after guards contacted her, admitted liability, said she would pay.

After I posted her two letters(with bill for expenses), and hand delivered a third .... received half of the money about two months later with a sob story saying that she would pay the remainder over the next few months. Six months later I sent another letter saying if she didnt pay me by Dec 1st I was going to my solicitor. she has not responded.

1. Do I have the right to request a statement from the guard who was present when she admitted liability, in case she lies when I bring her to court.
2. Do I have the right to request that the dog be put down, as a threat, if she refuses to pay. The dog bit one more person before me, which the guards also knew about. Wouldnt normally go this route but I'm sick of being nice about it cos it's getting me nowhere.

Thanks in advance.
 
PaddyBloggit said:
Pay for what?
Click to expand...

Watching the cycling dog???

But good question, what should she pay for?
Would the OP not have to bring the owner to the District Court to get any sort of award?
Should the dog not be put down, or is the old 3 strikes (bites) rule still in force?
 
"...got bitten by a dog cycling on public road"

"Did the dog come from a circus or what?"

Priceless!

<wipes tears from eyes>

OP just get her to give you the dog.

If you could train more the police could set up a mobile dog unit.

ONQ.
 
You should take more care in future, sounds like you're a bit of a liability out on the public roads. Drink, dogs, maybe potholes next then you could sue the county council.
 
This is not remotely petty.

It's dangerous enough for cyclists with pedestrians walking out in front of them and cars brushing past them.

A dog bite is serious. A cyclist could well swerve out in front of a car to avoid a dog.

I wouldn't be bothered with medical bills. I would be insisting that the dog be put down. Especially if it's got history.

If the dog is on the street, contact the Dog Warden service and get them to remove it.
 
It's also extremely dangerous for:

- pedestrians who are struck by cyclists not willing to stop at red lights, pedestrian crossings etc
- pedestrians who are struck by cyclists who don't bother with lights
- car drivers who have to deal with cyclists who don't know/refuse to signal correctly (how many cyclists do you even see signalling when they turn?)

It's not just cyclists, there are idiots walking, in cars, on motorbikes etc (even getting bitten by dogs). The point is that just about everyone is culpable in one form or another but we seem to live in a society where no one wants to take personal responsibility.

Re: the original post, if this was a serious incident then proceed with getting the dog put down. If not then just forget about it, you're giving the impression that you are just out for the money and if that is the case I have no sympathy for you.

Brendan said:
This is not remotely petty.

It's dangerous enough for cyclists with pedestrians walking out in front of them and cars brushing past them.

A dog bite is serious. A cyclist could well swerve out in front of a car to avoid a dog.

I wouldn't be bothered with medical bills. I would be insisting that the dog be put down. Especially if it's got history.

If the dog is on the street, contact the Dog Warden service and get them to remove it.
Click to expand...
 
Brendan said:
I wouldn't be bothered with medical bills. I would be insisting that the dog be put down. Especially if it's got history.

If the dog is on the street, contact the Dog Warden service and get them to remove it.
Click to expand...
Medical bills can be a very real issue for some people. They can mean less food on the table, in the current environment.

I agree that the dog should be put down. I wonder what happened when the OP went to the Gardai. If the Gardai gave the OP the option to progress it and the OP declined, then he can hardly go back to the Gardai now.
 
OP You say there were expenses and that the owner agreed payment in two tranches.

Both Paddybloggit and Towger have asked you to confirm what the payments were for.

Could you also confirm the amount involved if you want a considered reply as to whether you should take her to court.

ONQ.
 
Yes I would be inclined to know what expenses you actally incurred.
Did the dog actually run out on to the road? why not get on with it and forget about it.....
 
LinuxKing said:
Long story short, got bitten by a dog.
Click to expand...

OK, this is not a case where you can do this.
You obviously know the owner (an therefore the dog too) correct ?

Have you ever had a run-in with this dog before ?

What were the circumstances leading up to the incident?

Was it a vicious bite or a nip at a moving object?

How much injury was done to you and what did the doctor charge for?


It's very easy for people to imediately ask for the dog to be put down after a one-sided story, but the truth is generally quite more complicated....
 
Poor LinuxKing has only been here since 22nd of last month and we're all giving him a bit [sic] of a hard time.
Personally I understand exactly how he felt [very sore] because exactly the same thing happend to me, except I was on a motorcycle at the time.

A local, near feral sheepdog [they like to chase things] had it in for me and other people on two wheels in our area [1980's South Dublin].
It used to dance around hopping from side to side in front of bikes and motorcycles when entering our estate.
One day having dodged it three times as I approached, it had the unfortunate mishap of 'dodging' right in front of my Honda 125 [heady days].
I had nowhere to do and so I ran its ass over - not for want of trying to avoid it I can tell you.

'Nayways after that it got meaner and eventually developed the technique of waiting until after you'd passed and running alongside nipping and yelping.
People who knew the mutt [me] would let it see them passing one entrance, wait until it went thataway and then come in the other entrance and round the back road.

One day after the above I was slowing down to take the next corner after passing the mutt and OUCH! the little fecker was after biting me on the calf.
Well I went straight over to the owner and we had words - then I went to the local Garda Station and showed them the by now purpling teeth marks in my leg.
"Unless its drawn blood we can do very little except warn the owner. If it draws blood we can have it put down..." was the reply.

Revenge is a dish best served cold and I was present to witness my pal Dave try to manhandle his GPZ 1100A this way and that to avoid the same damned dog.
Left, right, left again - well, its a heavy bike and eventually the dog stopped right in front of the still rolling motorcycle, with its increasingly exasperated, tiring rider.
Having learnt nothing from its previous encouter with me, the dog stayed looking at half a ton of Kawasaki heavy metal as it reared on its back wheel then came down.

Belatedly seeing the mismatched encounter for what it was, the mutt tried to move - but not nearly fast enough.
18 inch Pirelli V-Rated performance tyremarks on its ass bore testimony to its almost terminally unwise behaviour.
It limped a little thereafter, and was still vicious to approach, but it never bothered bikers or cyclists again.

And the motto is - sometimes the most inevitable of solutions work out for the best.

HTH

ONQ.
 
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