In New Jersey, you can sue if a dog bites your child, and you don’t have to prove the dog was dangerous beforehand. Parents can recover their child’s medical bills, the cost of future scar revision surgery, pain and suffering, and therapy for emotional trauma. Our child dog bite settlements range from $100,000 to $1,000,000.
Why New Jersey Families Choose David Cowhey for Their Child’s Dog Bite Case
When your child is suffering from the physical and emotional trauma of a dog attack, you need an advocate who understands the stakes. David J. Cowhey is uniquely qualified to handle pediatric dog bite cases and will fight relentlessly for your family’s recovery.
- Over 40 Years of Experience
David Cowhey has dedicated decades to personal injury law and focuses exclusively on dog bite litigation. He understands the intricacies of how these attacks impact children differently than adults.
- Certified Civil Trial Attorney
He has been certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney, an elite designation held by less than 3% of New Jersey lawyers.
- Record-Setting Recoveries for Minors
David Cowhey is the New Jersey Dog Bite Lawyer with the most six-figure settlements in the state. He recently secured a $1 million settlement for a child dog attack case.
- One-on-One Representation
Unlike large firms that pass your file to junior associates, David Cowhey handles every case himself. When you hire him, you work directly with him.
- Always Accessible
Dog bites don’t just happen during business hours. Our office is open 24/7, and our child dog bite attorneys provide clients with immediate availability and urgent responses when dealing with aggressive insurance adjusters.
What Can I Do If My Child Was Bitten by a Friend or Family Member’s Dog?
Yes. New Jersey’s dog bite statute, N.J.S.A. 4:19-16, makes a dog’s owner strictly liable when the dog bites someone in a public place or someone lawfully on private property. That includes a child visiting a friend’s or relative’s home. You don’t need to show the dog had bitten before, or that the owner was careless. You only need to show the dog bit your child and your child was lawfully where they were.
Many parents hesitate because the dog belongs to a neighbor, a friend, or a family member. In almost every case, the claim is paid by the owner’s homeowners or renters insurance, not out of their own pocket. That’s what the insurance is for. Our guide to child dog bite claims involving friends or family explains how these cases are handled.
What Compensation Can a Child Recover After a Dog Bite in New Jersey?
A child’s dog bite claim covers both the injuries they have now and the effects that will follow them as they grow. Compensation can include:
- Emergency and hospital care: ER treatment, wound repair, antibiotics, rabies shots, and follow-up visits.
- Future surgery: facial and visible scars often need revision as a child grows, sometimes several procedures years apart. Those future costs are part of the claim. See suing for plastic surgery costs after a dog attack.
- Scarring and disfigurement: compensation for living with a permanent, visible scar. This is often the largest part of a child’s settlement. Learn how New Jersey values scarring and disfigurement in child cases.
- Emotional and psychological harm: nightmares, anxiety, fear of dogs and PTSD, along with the cost of counseling.
- Pain and suffering: the physical pain of the attack, treatment, and recovery.
- Parents’ expenses: parents may also recover the medical bills they paid on their child’s behalf.
How Much Is a Child Dog Bite Case Worth in New Jersey?
Every case is different, but serious child dog bite cases in New Jersey regularly settle for six figures, especially when a child is left with facial scarring. These are three of our firm’s results:
| Settlement | County | Child | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000,000 | Cape May | 7-year-old boy | Severe facial injuries and permanent scarring from a relative’s dog |
| $300,000 | Salem | Two young children | Extensive scarring from a Great Dane attack; full policy limit recovered |
| $295,000 | Cumberland | 5-year-old girl | Facial lacerations and scarring; structured settlement |
See all of our child dog bite settlements in New Jersey, with county, age, and injury for each case.
New Jersey Rules That Protect Children After a Dog Bite
- More time to file: the 2-year deadline for a child’s dog bite claim doesn’t start until the child turns 18, so a child generally has until age 20 to file. Acting early still matters, because evidence and witnesses are easier to secure soon after the attack.
- Court approval: a child’s settlement must be approved by a New Jersey judge at a “friendly hearing” under Court Rule 4:44, to make sure the amount is fair. Learn what happens at a friendly hearing.
- Protected funds: settlement money is usually deposited with the county Surrogate in an interest-bearing account until the child turns 18, or placed in a structured settlement.
- Who pays: in most cases, the dog owner’s homeowners or renters insurance pays. If the owner is uninsured, a landlord who knew the dog was dangerous may also be liable.
If your child was bitten in the last few hours or days, start with the first 24 hours after your child is bitten by a dog.
Child Dog Bite Compensation: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue if a dog bites my child?
Yes. Under New Jersey’s strict liability law, the dog’s owner is responsible when a dog bites a child who is in a public place or lawfully on private property, even if the dog never bit anyone before. The claim is usually paid by the owner’s homeowners or renters insurance.
What is the average payout for a child dog bite lawsuit?
The average New Jersey dog bite insurance claim was $77,447 in 2025, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Child cases with facial scarring are often worth far more. Our child dog bite settlements range from $100,000 to $1,000,000.
Is it worth suing for a dog bite on my child?
Usually, yes, if your child needed medical treatment or has a scar. Children often need future surgery and counseling, and a settlement is the only way to cover those costs. Our firm works on a contingency basis, so you pay no fee unless we win.
Steps to Take Immediately When Your Child Is Bitten by a Dog
The moments following a dog attack are chaotic, but taking the right steps can protect your child’s health and preserve your legal right to compensation.
- Separate and Secure: Immediately separate your child from the dog and move them to a safe location to prevent further injury.
- Seek Emergency Medical Attention: Call 911 or take your child to the emergency room immediately. Because children are shorter, bites frequently occur on the face and neck. You may want to insist that your child is evaluated by a plastic surgeon at the hospital to minimize permanent scarring and disfigurement.
- Identify the Dog and Owner: Get the dog owner’s name, address, and contact information, as well as their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance details.
- Report the Attack: New Jersey requires dog bites to be reported to the Local Health Department, usually within 12 to 24 hours. This helps ensure the dog is quarantined and observed for rabies for 10 days, even if it has been vaccinated.
- Document Everything: Take clear, well-lit photographs of your child’s injuries, torn clothing, and the location of the attack. If there are any witnesses, collect their names and phone numbers.
- Contact a New Jersey Dog Bite Lawyer: Before speaking with the dog owner’s insurance company, contact an attorney. Insurance companies often try to push lowball settlements on vulnerable families.
For more details on the severe nature of these attacks, you can read the guide to what to do in the first 24 hours after your child is attacked by a dog.
New Jersey Laws and Child Dog Bites
| Legal Concept / Statute | General New Jersey Law | Specific Application to Child Victims |
|---|---|---|
| Strict Liability (N.J.S.A. 4:19-16) | Owners are strictly liable for bites if the victim is lawfully on the property. New Jersey does not have a “one free bite” rule. | Applies fully to children. Parents do not need to prove the dog had a history of aggression or that the owner was negligent to seek compensation. |
| Statute of Limitations | A personal injury lawsuit must typically be filed within 2 years from the exact date of the dog bite. | Tolled for Minors: The 2-year legal clock is paused until the child turns 18. This means they have until their 20th birthday to file a claim. |
| Provocation & Comparative Negligence | If the victim provoked the dog (e.g., hitting or teasing), the owner’s liability may be reduced based on the victim’s percentage of fault. | It is generally very difficult to legally hold a child under the age of seven capable of negligence or intentional provocation. Older children are evaluated based on their age and understanding. |
| Trespassing Defense | The strict liability statute does not apply if the victim was unlawfully trespassing on private property when bitten. | Child Exception: If a young child wanders onto property, owners might still be held liable under general negligence (e.g., failing to secure a fence where children are known to play). |
| Parental Liability & Supervision | Third parties are rarely held liable for a dog owner’s failure to secure their own animal. | Parents are usually only held liable for contributing to the bite if their lack of supervision was considered extreme, or if they explicitly instructed the child to engage in behavior that led to the bite. |
| Damages & Compensation | Victims can recover costs for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. | Compensation for children heavily factors in long-term impacts, such as the need for future scar revision surgeries as the child grows, and severe emotional trauma (like cynophobia). |
Why Are Children More Likely to Be a Dog Bite Victim?
Information from the Centers for Disease Control has found that 50% of dog bite victims are children. The most likely place for an attack to occur is in the child’s home.
There are several reasons that a dog will bite a child or toddler. The first is that a child’s smaller size makes them a more likely target. Children may also not know what signs to watch for when an animal is stressed. Without seeing that a dog is stressed, they may unintentionally provoke an attack.
Another reason dogs attack children is that they are guarding their resources, such as toys or food. A child can see toys or food as a way to interact with the dog, or may want the item for themselves and try to take it away from the dog, prompting an attack. In another scenario, the movements of a toddler or child can be sudden and unpredictable to a dog. This can startle them and cause a dog to attack or bite.
It is not always a stranger’s dog that parents need to be wary of. 53% of children at an emergency room for dog bites were bit by a dog in their immediate or extended family. The median age of children in the study was 5. This is consistent with other studies that found younger children may be more likely to be bitten by a dog they are familiar with, and older children may be bitten by dogs that are unknown to them.
Why Are Injuries More Severe for Children Bitten By a Dog?
From the study above, it was found that 26% of kids need to go to the emergency room after a dog attack, but only 12% of adults. Dog bites in children often involve the head and neck area. This is the area of the body the dog will attack, and is due to the smaller size of children.
Injuries to the face and neck can cause permanent, visible scarring. Parents may wish to insist their child be seen by a plastic surgeon in the emergency room. This can prevent a child from also suffering emotional stress from having scars or disfigurement for the rest of their lives.
Common Dog Bite Injuries in Children
Children suffer different, and often more serious, dog bite injuries than adults. Because of their height, most child bites land on the face, head, and neck, and the injuries frequently need specialist care now and more treatment as the child grows. Each type of injury affects what a New Jersey child dog bite claim is worth.
Facial Injuries and Scarring
The face, lips, cheeks, and ears are the most common bite locations for young children. Deep lacerations usually need repair by a plastic surgeon, and many children need scar revision years later because a scar stretches and shifts as the face grows. A visible facial scar is often the largest part of a child’s settlement. Learn more about children’s facial dog bite injuries, including our $1 million settlement for a 7-year-old boy’s facial scarring.
Eye Injuries
Bites near the eye can tear the eyelid, damage the tear ducts, or fracture the bones around the eye socket. These injuries often need an oculoplastic surgeon and follow-up vision testing to catch problems that appear later. Claims involving the eye account for future surgery and any lasting effect on vision. See how we approach proving damages in dog bite eye injury cases.
Broken Bones and Jaw Fractures
A large dog’s bite and shaking can fracture a small child’s jaw, cheekbone, hand, or arm. Fractures may need surgery with plates or pins, and a break near a growth plate can affect how the bone develops. The claim should cover orthopedic or oral surgery, physical therapy, as well as the risk of growth-related complications.
Infections
Dog bites carry bacteria deep into the tissue, and puncture wounds on a child’s hands and face are especially prone to infection. Treatment can include antibiotics, wound cleaning, and sometimes hospitalization or rabies shots if the dog’s vaccination status is unknown. An infection lengthens recovery and can make scarring worse, which increases the value of the claim. Learn about dog bite infections and how they affect your case.
Nerve Damage
Deep bites can injure nerves in the face, hands, legs, and arms, causing numbness, weakness, or loss of facial movement. Some children need nerve testing, microsurgery with months of therapy, and some effects are permanent. Long-term nerve damage substantially raises the value of a claim because it can affect a child for life. Read about dog bites and neurological injuries.
Emotional Trauma and Fear of Dogs
Many children develop nightmares and anxiety due to an intense fear of dogs after an attack.
Counseling with a child psychologist helps the child and documents the harm, and New Jersey claims can include the cost of that therapy and compensation for the emotional injury. One family we represented recovered $125,000 for a young boy’s facial wounds and therapy for his fear of dogs.
What to Keep for Your Child’s Claim
- Photos of the injuries on the day of the attack and every few weeks while they heal
- Every medical record, including the emergency room, plastic surgeon, eye doctor or any specialist
- Notes on behavior changes such as nightmares, trouble sleeping, fear of dogs, plus any counseling records
- Your surgeon’s opinion on future treatment, such as scar revision as your child grows. This is often the single biggest factor in a child’s settlement value.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
Preventing a Dog Bite is the Best Step
The best thing parents and adults can do is to never leave a child alone with a dog. Even the family dog. Dogs were found to be less likely to attack a child if there was an adult present.
Parents can also teach children what signs to watch for when a dog becomes stressed. Educate children (and yourself) on how to approach an animal you don’t know.
Your Child Was Bitten. Schedule a Free Case Review with the New Jersey Dog Bite Lawyers
You shouldn’t have to deal with insurance companies while your child is healing. Call now, and you’ll speak directly with David Cowhey and Rob Morello — not a call center, not an assistant.
- Free case review, 24/7
- No fee unless we win
- Dog bites are all we do — including a $1,000,000 settlement for a child bitten in the face
Call (609) 513-0627 or Get Your Free Case Review
Insurance adjusters often call families within days. Talk to us before you sign anything or give a recorded statement.
