Michigan Child Dog Bite Injury Lawyer

Children are the most common victims of dog bites and suffer the most serious injuries. The Michigan Dog Bite Law Firm represents child bite victims and their families across Michigan, with focused experience in the special legal rules that apply to minors.

Was your child bitten by a dog in Michigan? Get a free case review from Solomon Radner. Child bite cases have unique rules under Michigan law — and substantially higher case values. No fee unless we win.

Children under 14 account for the majority of severe dog bite injuries in the United States. They are bitten more often than adults, on more sensitive parts of the body, and with consequences that follow them for decades. The Centers for Disease Control reports that children make up more than half of all dog bite emergency room visits, and the injury rate peaks between ages 5 and 9.

This page explains how Michigan law protects child dog bite victims, why these cases settle for substantially more than adult cases, the special rules around statute of limitations and settlement approval, and how The Michigan Dog Bite Law Firm handles them.

Why Children Are Bitten More Often Than Adults

The reasons are partly behavioral and partly physical:

• Height. A child’s face is at dog-mouth level. Bites that would land on an adult’s chest or arms land on a child’s face and head.
• Behavior. Children approach dogs more freely, make sudden movements, hug dogs around the neck, pull tails, and otherwise behave in ways dogs may interpret as threatening — even when the dog “knows” the child.
• Inability to read warning signs. Children do not recognize dog body language indicating stress, fear, or imminent aggression.
• Inability to defend. A child cannot push a dog away or run effectively.
• Family dogs. Most child dog bites involve a dog the family knows — a relative’s dog, a friend’s dog, a neighbor’s dog, or the family’s own dog.

None of these factors reduce the dog owner’s legal liability under Michigan law. They explain why child cases happen, not why they should be compensated less.

Special Michigan Rules for Child Dog Bite Cases

Lawful presence is broader for children

Under Michigan’s strict liability statute (MCL 287.351), the victim must have been lawfully present where the bite occurred. For children, Michigan courts apply this requirement more generously than for adults. A young child who wanders into a neighbor’s yard is generally not considered a trespasser the way an adult would be. Michigan courts recognize that children may not understand property boundaries, and the law gives them the benefit of the doubt.

Provocation is harder to establish for young children

Legal provocation requires intentional conduct that would reasonably be expected to cause a dog to bite. Young children — especially under age 7 — generally cannot form the kind of intentional conduct that constitutes provocation. A toddler pulling a dog’s tail is not legally provoking the dog in the way the statute requires. Insurance companies will sometimes argue otherwise, but Michigan courts have consistently rejected those arguments when the child is young.

Statute of limitations is tolled until age 18

Michigan’s general three-year statute of limitations does not start running for a minor until they turn 18. A child bitten at age 5 has until age 21 (three years after their 18th birthday) to file a lawsuit. This is critical because the full extent of a child’s injuries — particularly facial scarring and psychological impact — may not be apparent until adolescence or adulthood.

However: just because the deadline is tolled does not mean families should wait. Evidence fades, witnesses move, and insurance companies pay less for stale claims. The right time to start the claim is now, while the bite is fresh and the evidence is preserved.

Court approval is required for minor settlements

Michigan courts must approve any settlement on behalf of a minor. This protects the child by ensuring the settlement is fair and that the funds are properly preserved until the child turns 18 (typically through a structured settlement, conservatorship, or restricted account). This adds a procedural layer to child cases but also makes them harder for insurance companies to lowball — the court reviewing the settlement will not approve obvious underpayments.

Why Child Dog Bite Cases Settle for Substantially More

Several factors compound to make child cases significantly more valuable than adult cases:

• Longer life expectancy. A 6-year-old with a permanent facial scar will live with that injury for 70+ years. Adult victims live with it for far fewer years. Damages are calculated accordingly.
• Growing tissue. Children’s bodies are still developing. Scars on growing tissue can change shape, stretch, and become more prominent over time. Multiple scar revision surgeries throughout childhood are common.
• Psychological vulnerability. Children are more susceptible to lasting trauma. Childhood PTSD from a dog attack can shape personality development, school performance, and lifetime mental health.
• Jury sympathy. Juries respond strongly to injured children. Insurance companies know this and are motivated to settle.
• Future earning capacity. A young victim with a permanent disfigurement or disability may have her career path materially altered. The full future economic impact is recoverable.

Types of Child Dog Bite Injuries

Children’s injuries from dog bites are distinct from adult patterns. Common injury locations and types include:

• Face and head — disproportionately common in children due to height. Includes facial scarring and disfigurement, lip injuries, scalp injuries, and ear avulsions.
• Neck — particularly dangerous because of proximity to airways, major blood vessels, and the cervical spine.
• Hands and arms — defensive injuries when the child tries to push the dog away.
• Crushing injuries — large breed bites can fracture growing bones, with long-term effects on growth and function.
• Psychological trauma — even children with relatively minor physical injuries can develop lasting fear of dogs, separation anxiety, sleep disturbance, and PTSD.

What a Child Victim’s Family Can Recover

The full range of damages is available, brought on behalf of the child by a parent or guardian:

• All medical expenses, past and future, projected over the child’s lifetime
• Future scar revision surgeries (common with growing tissue)
• Psychological counseling, often required for years
• Pain and suffering, with no statutory cap
• Permanent disfigurement and scarring
• Loss of future earning capacity, if the injury affects the child’s career options
• Parents’ medical expenses (for treating the child) and out-of-pocket costs
• Parents’ lost wages while caring for the injured child

When the Dog Belongs to Family or Friends

One of the hardest aspects of child dog bite cases is that the dog often belongs to someone the family knows — a grandparent, a friend, a neighbor. Parents understandably worry about pursuing a claim against a loved one.

Here is what families need to understand: the claim is paid by the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance, not by the owner personally. Homeowner’s insurance exists precisely to cover situations like this. The owner pays premiums for this exact coverage. Filing a claim does not bankrupt the relative or friend — it activates the insurance policy that was already in place. See our guide on being bitten at a friend’s house for the full breakdown.

Not pursuing the claim, on the other hand, means the child bears the full medical and emotional cost. That is rarely the right outcome for the child.

What Parents Should Do After a Child Dog Bite

1. Get the child to the ER immediately. Pediatric facial wounds need rapid expert closure. Many ERs have a pediatric plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon on call — request consultation.
2. Photograph the injuries. Before, during, and after treatment. As the child heals, continue documenting.
3. Watch for psychological signs. Bedwetting, sleep disturbances, withdrawal, fear of dogs, fear of going outside. Get the child evaluated by a child psychologist within the first 30 days. Early intervention dramatically improves outcomes.
4. Report the bite to animal control. See our guide on how to report.
5. Document the dog owner’s identity and insurance. Get name, address, and homeowner’s or renter’s insurance information.
6. Do not give statements to insurance. The dog owner’s insurance company will call within days. Politely decline and refer them to your attorney.
7. Contact a Michigan dog bite attorney with child-case experience. Call The Michigan Dog Bite Law Firm at 1-800-LAWSUIT for a free case review.

Why Choose The Michigan Dog Bite Law Firm

The Michigan Dog Bite Law Firm has represented child dog bite victims and their families across Michigan. We work with pediatric plastic surgeons, child psychologists, and life-care planners to document the full long-term impact of a bite on a developing child. We navigate the court approval process for minor settlements so families do not have to.

Solomon Radner is a Michigan Super Lawyer (every year since 2014). The firm operates on contingency — no fee unless we win. The case review is free.

Was your child bitten in Michigan?
Call 1-800-LAWSUIT or request a free case review. No fee unless we win.