East Providence Dog Bite Lawyer

Injured in a Dog Attack? Our Dog Bite Attorneys Can Help

A dog attack can cause serious injuries, permanent scarring, infection, and emotional trauma that may require ongoing medical care.

Rhode Island dog bite claims can depend on where the attack occurred, who owned or controlled the dog, and whether the animal had shown dangerous behavior before.

An East Providence dog bite lawyer can investigate the attack, obtain relevant records, identify potentially responsible parties, and document the losses caused by the injuries.

Dog bite claims are governed by Rhode Island laws that differ from many other personal injury cases.

Marasco & Nesselbush represents people injured in dog attacks throughout East Providence and Rhode Island.

Marasco & Nesselbush: Representing Injured Rhode Islanders Since 1999

A serious dog attack can cause puncture wounds, nerve damage, infection, permanent scarring, psychological trauma, and other injuries that may require extensive medical care.

Rhode Island dog bite claims can depend heavily on where the attack occurred, who owned or controlled the animal, and whether the dog had shown dangerous behavior before.

Under Rhode Island law, strict liability applies in certain cases when a dog assaults, bites, or otherwise injures someone outside the owner’s or keeper’s enclosure.

Attacks occurring within an enclosure are generally evaluated differently and may require evidence that the owner knew or should have known about the dog’s dangerous propensities.

Marasco & Nesselbush has represented injured Rhode Islanders since 1999, and our attorneys investigate the attack, preserve relevant evidence, identify available insurance coverage, and document the full extent of the client’s losses.

When liability or fair compensation is disputed, we are prepared to fight for our clients through litigation when the evidence supports doing so.

Injured victims generally have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit in Rhode Island, so prompt review can help protect both the claim and important evidence.

We offer free consultations and handle qualifying dog bite cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning clients pay no upfront attorney fees and owe no attorney fee unless we recover compensation for them.

If you or your child was injured in a dog attack in East Providence, our attorneys can investigate what happened, explain how Rhode Island law applies, and discuss the options available for pursuing compensation.

Why Dog Bite Victims in East Providence Choose Marasco & Nesselbush

A serious dog attack can leave an injured person facing medical treatment, permanent scarring, lost income, and emotional trauma long after the initial wounds begin to heal.

Building a claim may require careful investigation into where the attack occurred, who owned, kept, or harbored the dog, whether the animal had shown dangerous behavior before, and what insurance coverage may be available.

Marasco & Nesselbush has represented injured Rhode Islanders since 1999, and our attorneys understand the state-specific liability rules that can make dog bite claims different from other personal injury cases.

We investigate the circumstances of the attack, preserve relevant evidence, identify potentially responsible parties, and document the full medical, financial, and personal effects of the injuries.

Clients choose Marasco & Nesselbush for:

• Experience with Rhode Island dog bite law: Liability can depend on whether the attack occurred inside or outside the owner’s or keeper’s enclosure, who owned or controlled the dog, and whether evidence of prior dangerous behavior is relevant. Our attorneys evaluate each claim under the statutory and common-law rules that apply to its specific facts.
• Detailed investigation of the attack: We obtain and review animal control records, police reports, witness statements, photographs, medical documentation, prior complaints, property information, and other evidence that may help establish liability.
• Identification of all potentially responsible parties: A claim may involve the dog’s owner, a keeper or harborer, a landlord in limited circumstances, or another person whose conduct or control contributed to the attack.
• Review of available insurance coverage: Homeowners, renters, and other liability policies may provide coverage for dog-related injuries. We examine applicable policies, exclusions, coverage limits, and other issues that may affect the claim.
• Experience with serious and lasting injuries: Dog attacks can cause nerve and tendon damage, infection, permanent scarring, disfigurement, psychological trauma, and other injuries requiring continuing care. We document both immediate losses and the long-term effects of the injury.
• Resources to evaluate future losses: When appropriate, we work with medical, vocational, economic, and other professionals to assess future treatment, permanent limitations, lost earning capacity, and other damages supported by the evidence.
• Preparation for disputed claims: Insurers may contest the attack location, prior knowledge, control of the dog, causation, or the extent of the injuries. We prepare the evidence needed for meaningful settlement negotiations and litigation when a fair resolution cannot be reached.
• Local and bilingual support: Our East Providence office provides local access for clients, and our bilingual team communicates in English or Spanish from the initial consultation through negotiations, litigation, and resolution.

Marasco & Nesselbush has a 19-attorney team with more than 350 years of combined experience and has recovered more than $500 million for injured clients across its personal injury practice.

Our attorneys evaluate each East Providence dog bite claim based on the circumstances of the attack, the injuries sustained, available insurance coverage, and the evidence supporting liability and damages.

Our Personal Injury Lawyers Have Secured Significant Results for Injured Victims

Marasco & Nesselbush has obtained a confidential settlement for a client who lost part of a finger in a dog attack.

Because our published dog-bite results are limited, the examples below also include premises liability and other serious injury recoveries that reflect our broader experience handling claims involving permanent injuries, unsafe property conditions, and disputed liability.

These additional results are not dog-bite cases and should not be viewed as estimates of what another dog-bite claim may be worth.

Every case depends on its own facts, injuries, insurance coverage, evidence, defendants, and applicable law, and past results do not guarantee or predict the outcome of another claim.

Examples of recoveries obtained by our attorneys include:

• Confidential Settlement: Secured for a client who lost part of a finger in a dog attack.
• $6.25 Million Settlement: Obtained in a premises liability and wrongful death case involving unsafe property conditions.
• $2.9 Million Settlement: Reached against a commercial property landlord after a client suffered serious injuries in a fall caused by an unsafe condition.
• $1 Million Recovered: Obtained for a child injured after falling from a window because of a landlord’s failure to maintain the premises.

Rhode Island Dog Bite Laws That May Affect Your Claim

Rhode Island uses several statutes to determine liability after a dog attack, with the applicable rule depending in part on where the injury occurred, who owned or kept the dog, and whether the animal had previously been declared vicious.

Rhode Island laws that may affect a dog bite claim include:

• Strict liability under § 4-13-16: An owner or keeper may be strictly liable when a dog assaults, bites, or otherwise injures a person while the person is traveling on a highway or the dog is outside the owner’s or keeper’s enclosure. The injured person does not need to prove that the owner or keeper knew the dog had previously caused similar harm.
• Liability for keeping or harboring a dog under § 4-13-17: A person who keeps or harbors a dog in a house or on land, or knowingly allows another person to do so, may be liable for damage caused by the dog in the same manner as its owner.
• Court-ordered confinement under § 4-13-19: A person assaulted by a dog outside the owner’s or keeper’s enclosure may make a sworn complaint in District Court. After a hearing, the court can require the owner or keeper to confine or kill the dog and may, under specified circumstances, order its detention or destruction.
• Liability involving a dog already declared vicious: Section 4-13.1-7 provides a separate civil remedy when a dog previously declared vicious causes an unprovoked injury. The statute applies whether the attack occurs inside or outside the owner’s or keeper’s enclosure.
• Vicious dog classifications: Rhode Island law allows a dog to be declared vicious based on specified conduct, including an unprovoked bite or other attack. A “serious injury” includes broken bones and permanently disfiguring lacerations requiring stitches, multiple stitches or sutures, or cosmetic surgery.
• Breed-specific rules prohibited: Rhode Island prohibits cities and towns from adopting rules, regulations, or ordinances specific to a particular breed of dog or cat under § 4-13-43.

Other statutes and common-law rules may apply depending on the circumstances of the attack.

Comparative Negligence in Dog Bite Claims

Rhode Island follows a pure comparative negligence rule in personal injury cases.

Under § 9-20-4, negligence by an injured person does not necessarily bar recovery.

When comparative negligence applies, damages are reduced in proportion to the amount of negligence assigned to the injured person.

Comparative negligence may become relevant in a dog attack claim based on negligence or other circumstances in which the injured person’s conduct is legally at issue.

The effect of a victim’s conduct can depend on the particular theory of liability being asserted.

Provocation also appears separately in Rhode Island’s vicious-dog statutes.

A dog generally cannot be declared vicious based on an injury suffered while a person was trespassing, teasing, tormenting, provoking, abusing, or assaulting the dog, or committing or attempting to commit a crime.

An attorney can determine whether comparative negligence, provocation, or another defense applies to the specific claim rather than assuming that every dog bite case is reduced by a percentage of fault.

Deadlines for Filing a Dog Bite Lawsuit in Rhode Island

A person injured in a dog attack in Rhode Island generally has three years from the date the personal injury claim accrues to file a lawsuit under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14.

Negotiating with an insurance company does not stop the statute of limitations from running. A claim can remain under review or settlement discussions while the filing deadline continues to approach.

Rhode Island provides additional time for many claims belonging to children.

Under § 9-1-19, the limitations period is generally postponed while an injured person is under age 18.

Rhode Island courts have applied this rule to allow an ordinary personal injury claim belonging to a minor to be filed within three years after the child reaches adulthood.

Separate claims belonging to a parent may be subject to different deadlines and should be evaluated independently.

Different rules can also apply when a dog attack causes a death.

Rhode Island’s wrongful death statute generally requires an action to be filed within three years after the person’s death, although the statute includes a discovery rule when the wrongful conduct causing the death was not known at that time.

Rhode Island insurance regulations provide another protection during settlement negotiations.

When a claimant’s rights may be affected by an approaching statute of limitations, an insurer generally may not continue negotiations without providing written notice of the deadline, including at least 60 days’ notice to a third-party claimant.

Because the applicable deadline can depend on the injured person’s age, the identity of the defendants, and the type of claim being pursued, the filing period should be determined from the specific facts of the dog attack.

East Providence Leash and Restraint Laws

East Providence requires dog owners to keep their dogs under restraint and prohibits them from allowing a dog to run at large.

Under East Providence Code § 3-31, a dog that is off its owner’s premises must be under the control of a competent person and restrained by a leash no longer than six feet.

The ordinance also requires dogs living at apartment buildings, condominiums, and other properties with multiple residents to be restrained in common areas, including hallways, yards, and basements.

East Providence imposes additional confinement requirements for dogs classified as fierce, dangerous, aggressive, or vicious, while other local rules regulate prolonged tethering and confinement.

A violation of a local leash or restraint requirement does not by itself resolve every issue in a civil dog bite claim, but evidence showing how the dog was controlled and whether applicable ordinances were followed may become relevant when determining liability.

Does Rhode Island Have a One-Bite Rule for Animal Attacks?

Rhode Island follows a form of the one-bite rule in some dog attack cases, but the name can be misleading.

The rule generally applies when an injury occurs within the dog owner’s or keeper’s enclosure and requires evidence that the defendant knew, or should have known, about the dog’s dangerous or vicious propensities before the attack.

A previous bite is not required to establish that knowledge.

In Coogan v. Nelson, the Rhode Island Supreme Court explained that the “one-bite rule” is shorthand for the knowledge requirement and held that other prior behavior capable of showing dangerous tendencies may be sufficient.

A previous incident in which a dog caused a deep scratch to a child’s face, for example, could support a finding that the owners knew or should have known about the dog’s dangerous propensities.

Rhode Island applies a different rule when a dog attacks someone outside the owner or keeper’s enclosure.

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-13-16, an owner or keeper may be held strictly liable when a dog assaults, bites, or otherwise injures a person traveling on a highway or while the dog is outside the applicable enclosure.

In these cases, the injured person does not have to establish that the dog previously bit someone or that the owner knew it was dangerous.

When § 4-13-16 applies, the dog’s owner or keeper may be liable for all damages caused by the first qualifying attack.

If the same dog later causes qualifying damage, Rhode Island law provides for double damages on the second recovery.

The distinction between these rules makes the location of an animal attack especially important under Rhode Island law.

Determining whether an injury occurred within an owner’s enclosure, whether the dog had previously displayed dangerous behavior, and what the owner knew before the attack can substantially affect how liability is established.

Common Causes of Dog Attacks in Rhode Island

Dog attacks can occur when an animal escapes from a property, is not adequately restrained, or comes into close contact with someone who does not know how the dog will react.

Rhode Island Department of Health data also show a seasonal pattern in reported animal bites.

Between 2019 and 2023, August consistently had the highest number of reports, and the typical animal-bite season ran from May through August.

Dogs were the most commonly reported animal involved in these incidents from 2021 through 2023.

RIDOH investigated more than 2,700 animal-bite cases statewide in 2023.

The agency reported that this was the highest count during the previous five years, although its case-counting methodology changed in 2023 to include some incidents that had previously been excluded.

The circumstances surrounding an attack can help establish where the dog was, who had control of it, and what evidence may be available afterward.

Dog attacks in East Providence may involve:

• Dogs off leash: An unrestrained dog in a park, on a trail, or along a neighborhood street may approach pedestrians, cyclists, children, or other animals before its owner can intervene.
• Open gates and doors: A dog may escape through an unsecured gate, open door, damaged fence, or another opening and enter a sidewalk, roadway, or neighboring property.
• Deliveries and service calls: Mail carriers, delivery drivers, contractors, and other workers may encounter a dog when approaching a residence or entering a property.
• Shared entrances: Hallways, stairwells, yards, and porches at multi-family properties can place residents and visitors in close proximity to a tenant’s dog.
• Handlers unable to restrain the dog: A dog may pull away from a friend, family member, dog walker, or other person who does not have sufficient control over the animal.
• Visits to homes: Guests, relatives, and children may encounter a dog inside the owner’s property, where Rhode Island’s rules concerning an owner’s enclosure can affect how liability is established.

Dog attacks also occur under many other circumstances.

The location of the attack, how the dog was being controlled, and what happened immediately beforehand can affect both the investigation and the legal standard that applies.

The mechanism of the attack can also affect the resulting injuries.

A person knocked to the ground may suffer fractures or head injuries, while a bite can cause puncture wounds, torn tissue, nerve damage, infection, or permanent scarring.

Common Dog Bite Injuries

Dog bites can cause deeper tissue damage than the wound at the surface initially suggests.

A dog’s teeth can produce puncture wounds, lacerations, and crushing injuries while introducing bacteria into damaged tissue. Puncture wounds carry a particularly important infection risk because bacteria can be deposited beneath the skin.

In one study of 495 dog bite patients, 345 patients completed follow-up and 18 developed infections, an infection rate of 5.2%.

Puncture wounds were independently associated with a substantially higher risk of infection.

Another study of 431 adults treated for dog bites found that injuries to the hand accounted for 41.1% of the cases.

Hand injuries were also associated with approximately twice the odds of returning for additional treatment, and patients who returned with signs of infection did so a median of 3.8 days after the bite.

Dog bite infections can involve multiple bacterial species.

Research on infected wounds has identified Pasteurella species, streptococci, staphylococci, and several anaerobic bacteria, among others.

Certain organisms can cause particularly serious complications: Pasteurella infections may progress rapidly through soft tissue, while Capnocytophaga canimorsus can cause severe bloodstream infections, particularly in people with certain underlying risk factors.

Injuries treated after a dog attack often include:

• Puncture wounds: A dog’s teeth can penetrate beneath the skin and injure deeper soft tissue, including structures near tendons, joints, and bones.
• Nerve and tendon damage: Bites to the hand and forearm can injure nerves, tendons, muscles, and other structures involved in sensation and movement, sometimes leaving lasting functional limitations.
• Facial injuries and scarring: Bites to the lips, nose, cheeks, eyelids, and other parts of the face can leave permanent scars. More severe wounds involving tissue loss or deeper structures may require reconstructive surgery or later scar revision.
• Serious infections: Cellulitis, abscesses, and deeper infections can develop after a bite, with hand wounds carrying a particularly significant risk of infectious complications.
• Psychological injuries: Children and adults may experience fear, anxiety, avoidance behavior, nightmares, or post-traumatic stress symptoms after a serious dog attack.

The extent of an injury depends on factors including the size and force of the dog, the location of the bite, the depth of the wound, and whether the attack involved repeated biting or crushing of tissue.

Age also affects the pattern of injury. Children are substantially more likely than adults to suffer bites involving the face, head, and neck.

Dog Bite Injuries to Children

Children suffer facial dog bite injuries at a much higher rate than adults.

Their shorter stature places the head and face closer to a dog’s mouth, which may contribute to the different injury patterns seen in pediatric cases.

Younger children may also have less time or ability to protect their faces during an attack.

A national study of dog bite injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments found that 73% of injured children were bitten on the face, head, or neck, compared with 30% of older patients.

Other pediatric studies have likewise found the face and head among the most frequently injured areas.

Facial injuries can affect the lips, nose, cheeks, eyelids, and surrounding structures.

Deep wounds, tissue loss, and avulsion injuries can require specialist treatment and may leave permanent scars or require later reconstructive procedures.

The long-term medical consequences can be particularly important in a claim involving a child.

Future scar treatment, reconstructive surgery, psychological care, and permanent disfigurement may need to be evaluated before the full extent of the damages can be determined.

Who May Be Liable for a Dog Bite in East Providence?

Liability for a dog bite in East Providence can extend beyond the dog’s owner, depending on who kept or harbored the animal, where the attack occurred, and what each person knew before the incident.

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-13-17, a person who keeps or harbors a dog in a house or on land, or knowingly allows another person to do so, may be liable for injuries caused by the dog in the same manner as its owner.

Rhode Island’s enclosure rules still apply. An owner, keeper, or harborer may face strict liability when the dog injures someone while outside the applicable enclosure, while an injury occurring within the enclosure generally requires evidence that the defendant knew of the dog’s dangerous propensities.

More than one person may potentially bear responsibility for the same attack, and separate defendants may also have different sources of liability insurance.

Parties who may be responsible include:

• Dog owner: An owner or keeper may be strictly liable when a dog assaults, bites, or otherwise injures someone while the person is traveling on a highway or the dog is outside the owner’s or keeper’s enclosure. When an attack occurs within the enclosure, Rhode Island’s common-law knowledge requirement generally applies instead.
• Keeper or harborer: A person who keeps or harbors a dog in a house or on land may be liable in the same manner as the owner. Rhode Island law also extends the statute to a person who knowingly allows someone else to keep or harbor the dog on the premises.
• Landlord or property owner: A landlord who knowingly allows a tenant to keep a dog on the property may fall within § 4-13-17. Liability is not automatic, however, and may depend on where the attack occurred and whether the landlord knew of the dog’s dangerous propensities.
• Parents or guardians of minors: If the owner or keeper of a vicious dog is a minor, R.I. Gen. Laws § 4-13.1-13 makes the minor’s parent or guardian liable for injuries and property damage caused by an unprovoked attack by that dog.

Landlord Liability in Dog Bite Cases

A landlord is not automatically liable when a tenant’s dog attacks someone.

Under Rhode Island law, the first step in a claim under § 4-13-17 is establishing that the landlord or other alleged harborer knew the dog was being kept on the property. The legal standard then depends in part on where the injury occurred.

When an attack occurs within the relevant enclosure, knowledge that the dog was merely present is not enough.

The injured person generally must also produce evidence that the landlord knew of the dog’s dangerous propensities before the attack.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court addressed that issue in Ferrara v. Marra.

An 11-year-old girl was attacked by three pit bull terriers at a Providence apartment owned by the defendant landlord.

The landlord acknowledged knowing that the dogs were kept at the property but denied knowing that they were dangerous.

The record included a police report documenting an attack on a 14-year-old girl involving a pit bull puppy at the same Miller Avenue residence three months earlier.

The Supreme Court held that the evidence was sufficient to create a genuine issue of material fact concerning whether the landlord knew of the dangerous propensities of at least one of the dogs.

The case was therefore sent back for trial rather than resolved in the landlord’s favor on summary judgment.

The dog’s breed did not itself establish liability.

Rhode Island’s Supreme Court has declined to impose a breed-specific standard of care, making evidence of the particular dog’s prior conduct and the defendant’s knowledge more important than breed alone.

Animal control reports, police records, prior complaints, communications with a landlord, and testimony from other tenants or neighbors may provide evidence of what a property owner knew before an attack.

What Compensation Can Be Recovered After a Dog Bite?

Compensation after a dog attack may include medical expenses, lost income, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional harm, and permanent scarring or disfigurement.

Most damages in a personal injury claim are compensatory, meaning they address losses caused by the injury.

Economic damages cover financial losses that can be documented or reasonably calculated, while non-economic damages address physical and emotional harm that does not carry a fixed dollar amount.

Rhode Island law also provides enhanced damages in certain dog-attack cases.

A second qualifying recovery involving the same dog can result in double damages under § 4-13-16.

Economic Damages

Economic damages compensate an injured person for financial losses caused by the attack.

Recoverable losses may include emergency treatment, physician visits, sutures, antibiotics, surgery, rehabilitation, and other necessary medical care related to the injury.

An injured person may also seek compensation for wages lost during treatment and, when an injury produces lasting limitations, diminished earning capacity.

Future medical treatment can also affect the value of a claim when the evidence establishes that additional care is expected.

A serious facial injury, for example, may require later scar revision or reconstructive treatment after the initial wound has healed.

Medical records, bills, wage information, employment records, and opinions from treating physicians or other qualified professionals can provide evidence of these losses.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages compensate for consequences of an injury that do not produce a bill or other fixed financial loss.

Pain and suffering may include the physical pain caused by the attack, treatment, recovery, and lasting complications such as nerve damage.

Permanent scarring and disfigurement can also be substantial components of a dog bite claim, particularly when an injury affects the face or another highly visible part of the body.

Emotional effects may include anxiety, disrupted sleep, fear of dogs, avoidance behavior, embarrassment, and other changes in daily life resulting from the attack.

The value of these damages depends on evidence concerning the severity and duration of the injury, the treatment required, any permanent impairment or disfigurement, and the effect the attack has had on the injured person’s life.

Wrongful Death Damages

A fatal dog attack can support a wrongful death action under Rhode Island law when the conduct that caused the death would have entitled the injured person to recover damages had the person survived.

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 10-7-2, most wrongful death actions are brought by the executor or administrator of the deceased person’s estate.

The statute generally directs one-half of the recovery to the surviving spouse and one-half to the deceased person’s children.

If there are no children, the surviving spouse generally receives the entire amount, and if there is no surviving spouse, the recovery passes to the next of kin as provided by the statute.

Rhode Island separately allows certain family members to recover for losses such as consortium, society and companionship, emotional distress, grief, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Those claims are governed by § 10-7-1.2 and are paid to the family members who sustained the loss.

Rhode Island also prescribes how pecuniary wrongful death damages are calculated.

The calculation considers the decedent’s expected future income or earnings, personal expenses, life expectancy, and present value.

The statute expressly includes the value of lost homemaker services.

For qualifying causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2024, Rhode Island law provides a minimum recovery of $350,000 when liability is established under §§ 10-7-1 through 10-7-4.

Separate recovery may also be available for medical expenses and diminished earning power between the injury and death, as well as conscious pain and suffering before death.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are different from compensation for medical expenses, lost income, or pain and suffering.

Their purpose is to punish exceptionally wrongful conduct and deter similar conduct rather than compensate the injured person for a particular loss.

Rhode Island courts describe them as an extraordinary sanction that is disfavored, permitted only with great caution and within narrow limits.

Rhode Island places a demanding standard on punitive damage claims.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court has held that the evidence must demonstrate willfulness, recklessness, or wickedness amounting to criminality before punitive damages may be submitted for consideration.

Whether conduct surrounding a dog attack reaches Rhode Island’s punitive-damages standard depends on the specific evidence concerning the owner’s actions and knowledge before the attack.

Rhode Island law also permits punitive damages in certain actions following a death when the damages would have been recoverable had the injured person survived.

What to Do After a Dog Bite in East Providence

The steps taken after a dog attack can affect both medical treatment and the evidence available if a claim is later disputed.

Even when a wound initially appears minor, prompt medical attention is important.

Dog bites can damage deeper tissue, introduce bacteria into a wound, and require evaluation for possible rabies exposure.

Photographs, witness information, animal control records, and details about where the attack occurred can also become important if an insurance claim or legal action follows.

After a dog attack in East Providence, consider taking the following steps:

• Seek medical attention: Wash the wound promptly and obtain appropriate medical care. A healthcare professional can evaluate the depth of the injury, infection risk, damage to deeper structures, and whether rabies treatment or other preventive care is appropriate.
• Photograph the injuries: If it can be done without delaying necessary treatment, photograph the wounds soon after the attack and continue taking photographs during the healing process. Early images can document injuries that later treatment, stitches, or healing may make less visible.
• Report the attack: Rhode Island regulations require the person exposed and the owner or guardian of an attacking domestic animal to immediately contact the animal control officer in the city or town where the exposure occurred. East Providence Animal Control is located at 62 Commercial Way and can be reached at (401) 435-7675.
• Obtain identifying information: Record the dog owner’s name, address, and contact information, along with information identifying the dog and, when available, its rabies vaccination status. If someone other than the owner was keeping or controlling the dog, obtain that person’s information as well. Depending on the circumstances, more than one person may potentially be held liable.
• Document the scene: Photograph gates, fences, doors, driveways, warning signs, and other features showing where the attack occurred. Whether the injury happened within or outside the owner’s or keeper’s enclosure can affect the application of Rhode Island’s strict liability statute, and the fact that an incident occurred on private property does not by itself resolve that question.
• Identify witnesses: Obtain names and contact information from anyone who saw the attack, the dog’s behavior beforehand, or the condition of the property. Witnesses may also know about earlier incidents involving the same animal.
• Preserve available evidence: Save torn or bloodied clothing, medical paperwork, messages involving the dog, photographs, and other materials related to the attack. Ask nearby homes or businesses about surveillance or doorbell footage before recordings are deleted or overwritten.
• Be careful when communicating with insurers: An insurer for the dog owner may request information or a recorded statement while investigating the claim. Before giving a detailed recorded account or signing a release, an injured person can speak with an attorney about the request and its potential effect on the claim.
• Contact a dog bite lawyer: An attorney can obtain animal control records, investigate who owned or kept the dog, examine available insurance coverage, and determine which Rhode Island liability rules apply before filing any legal action.

Many dog owners cooperate after an attack, but disagreements can arise over where the incident occurred, who controlled the dog, whether the animal had behaved aggressively before, and what injuries resulted.

Records created shortly after an attack can help resolve those disputes because they document the scene, injuries, witnesses, and identities of the people involved while the information is still available.

Evidence That Can Strengthen a Dog Bite Claim

Evidence can help establish how the attack happened, who controlled the dog, and the extent of the injuries.

Insurance companies may dispute where the attack occurred, whether the dog was restrained, or whether the injured person contributed to the incident.

Evidence that can support a dog bite claim includes:

• Animal control records: Reports may document the attack, the dog, its owner, quarantine requirements, and earlier complaints involving the animal.
• Health department records: Reported bites may create records concerning the exposure, injury, and follow-up recommendations.
• Vicious dog hearing records: If a hearing occurs, the resulting records may include findings involving local officials and the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
• Police reports: A police report may document the location, witnesses, people involved, and statements made after the attack.
• Medical records and photographs: Treatment records show the nature of the injuries, while photographs can document wounds, healing, and permanent scarring.
• Physical evidence: Torn clothing, a damaged leash, a broken gate, or other items may help show what happened during the attack.
• Security or doorbell video: Footage from nearby homes or businesses may capture the attack or events immediately before it.
• Proof of financial losses: Medical bills, wage records, and estimates for future treatment can document the financial effects of the injury.

Other evidence may also become important depending on where the attack occurred, who owned or kept the dog, and whether the animal had been involved in earlier incidents.

Marasco & Nesselbush: East Providence Dog Bite Attorneys

Marasco & Nesselbush represents people injured in dog attacks in East Providence and throughout Rhode Island.

A serious attack can cause substantial physical injuries, permanent scarring, emotional harm, lost income, and medical expenses, while the resulting claim may involve disputed questions about where the attack occurred, who owned or controlled the dog, and what insurance coverage is available.

Our attorneys investigate dog attacks, obtain relevant records, identify potentially responsible parties, determine which Rhode Island liability rules apply, and document the medical and financial effects of the injuries.

Marasco & Nesselbush has represented injured Rhode Islanders since 1999, and our East Providence office is located at 2224 Pawtucket Avenue.

If you or your child was injured by a dog in East Providence, contact Marasco & Nesselbush for a free consultation.

We handle qualifying dog bite cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Call our East Providence office or use the chat feature on this page to speak with a Rhode Island dog bite attorney.