Of the estimated 70 million dogs living with human families in the U.S., most are probably well behaved, or at least kept under control by their owners. However, even good or friendly dogs can bite.
As the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) kicks off its annual National Dog Bite Prevention Week this week (April 8-14), it’s important to remember that when dogs bite, their owners can and should be held responsible for any injuries or trauma their animals cause.
Parents worry about their children when they go off to college, and sadly, their fears may be valid. Unfortunately, crime is a concern at every university and college in the U.S. In fact, tens of thousands of students are the victims of crimes on college campuses every year, according to statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics.
This does not make a crime against your child insignificant. If your child is the victim of a crime at school, then you have every right to take it seriously if it results in damages or injury. This can mean taking legal action against the perpetrator. While legal remedies can't undo an incident, they can help in a few other ways.
Our criminal justice system is all about catching and prosecuting people who commit assaults, sexual assaults, muggings, stabbings, shootings, robberies, DUI injuries, vehicular homicide and other crimes.
But there is another aspect to criminal justice, that gets less attention: what happens to the victims of these crimes.
You are a safe driver. You always buckle your seatbelt. You are one of those people who adjusts your rearview mirror every time you get into the driver's seat. You use your turn signal and keep plenty of space between you and the car in front of you.
You do your best to be a safe driver, but you can't control other drivers on the road. Other drivers could be distracted or worse.
