A day at the zoo is supposed to be safe. You take your kids to see the animals, you stay behind the barriers, and you expect the zoo to keep everyone protected. So when an animal attack happens, it can leave you shaken, seriously hurt, and unsure of what to do next.
It sounds rare, but zoo animal attacks do happen in Florida, and they can cause severe injuries to visitors and employees alike. If you or your child was hurt by an animal at a zoo near Fort Walton Beach, you have legal rights, and you may be entitled to compensation.
At Browning Law Firm, we've built our practice around figuring out how serious injuries happen and who is responsible. Below, we'll walk you through what your rights look like after a zoo animal attack in Florida.
Can You Sue a Zoo If an Animal Attacks You?
Yes. In most cases, you can sue a zoo if an animal attacks and injures you, because zoos have a legal duty to keep visitors reasonably safe.
In fact, a few years ago, in 2016, a woman at the Palm Beach Zoo was killed when an unprovoked tiger suddenly started acting out and attacked her. The woman killed was a zoo employee, and she was working there as a tiger keeper. She was the zoo’s lead tiger keeper, in fact. If you scroll through Facebook videos, you may have likely seen videos where civilians were even bitten by crocodiles while in a zoo or other amusement park.
When a zoo fails to properly secure an animal, maintain its enclosures, or warn guests of danger, and someone gets hurt as a result, the zoo can be held liable for negligence. This falls under an area of law called premises liability.
Premises liability simply means a property owner's responsibility to keep their premises safe for the people they invite in. A zoo invites the public onto its grounds and profits from those visits, so it carries a real duty to prevent foreseeable harm.
That duty covers employees too. Whether you were a paying visitor or a staff member working with the animals, you had a right to be safe on the premises, and the zoo may be responsible if that safety failed.
What Damages Can You Recover After a Zoo Animal Attack?
After a zoo animal attack in Florida, you can generally recover economic damages for your measurable losses and non-economic damages for your suffering. Economic damages include medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages, known in Florida as pain and suffering, compensate for the physical pain and emotional distress the attack caused you..jpg)
Injuries from an animal attack range from bites and deep lacerations to broken bones, facial scarring, and, in the most serious cases, permanent disability. The more severe the injury, the higher the long-term cost, and full compensation should account for all of it. These are the same categories of damages that apply across most Florida injury cases, from traffic crashes to premises liability.
Damages in a zoo animal attack case often include:
- Medical bills: emergency treatment, surgery, and any long-term care your doctors recommend.
- Future medical costs: follow-up procedures, physical therapy, and reconstructive surgery.
- Lost wages: income lost during your recovery.
- Lost earning capacity: reduced ability to work if your injuries are lasting.
- Pain and suffering: the physical and emotional toll of the attack.
Keep everything that documents your losses, including bills, receipts, pay stubs, and your doctors' notes. That documentation is what we use to build the strongest possible claim on your behalf.
How Does Florida's Comparative Fault Rule Affect Your Claim?
Florida is a comparative negligence state. Simply stated, this means that the degree of liability is measured against the degree of negligence or fault. If you were partly at fault for the attack, the damages that you are entitled to may be reduced by the court.
The court will reduce your damages according to the percentage of fault that can be attributed to you in the accident. If you were found to be, in fact, more at fault than the defendant, and that the accident was more attributable to you, your claim might be dismissed by the court.
You may wonder how you could be considered at fault for an animal attack at the zoo.
After all, if you were attacked by an animal in a zoo you’d be the victim, right? This is not always the case.
As part of their efforts to keep their visitors safe while on their premises, zoos put up hard-to-miss caution signs near some of their more dangerous animals, and they warn their patrons against feeding or provoking the animals.
Barriers such as glass and fences are even put up to ensure that people are prevented from easily entering the enclosures containing the animals. If you willfully disregard these signs and put yourself in harm’s way, you may be held partly at fault. An example of this is if you dive into the polar bear tank or enter a lion’s den despite the very conspicuous caution signs telling you not to.
As recently as last year, a man was attacked by a tiger at a zoo. He was severely injured, but no charges could be filed against the zoo, as the man had no proper authority to be where the tiger was kept in the first place. He was also found to be at fault for ignoring the signs and barriers meant to keep the public away from the animal. This particular attack ended in tragedy as the animal had to be fatally shot in order to save the man.
In a case such as the one mentioned above, the zoo will surely argue that you blatantly disregarded the safety precautions they have in place and that you were at fault for any injuries you sustained. They will win this argument. As a matter of fact, they might even try to have charges filed against you for damages they sustained, such as the loss of one of their animals.
If you were hurt at a Florida zoo and aren't sure where you stand, contact Browning Law Firm for a free consultation. There's no fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Talk to a Fort Walton Beach Personal Injury Lawyer for Free
If you or a loved one have been injured in an animal attack, you need to contact an experienced Fort Walton Beach personal injury attorney today. Our attorneys and staffs have years of experience in dealing with accidents such as zoo animal attacks. They can review your case and answer any questions you may have with regard to damages and other claims you may be entitled to. The initial consultation will cost you nothing.
Your personal injury lawyer will contact the insurance company for the zoo and try to settle your claim. If they are not able to do this, they will have to file a lawsuit against the zoo and maybe even the city. Given the negative publicity associated with this sort of attack, it is highly likely that the zoo will be eager to settle. Contact the office today to schedule your initial consultation. Remember – you pay nothing until you settle your case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue a zoo if I ignored the warning signs?
Possibly, but it's harder. Under Florida's modified comparative negligence rule, ignoring posted warnings can make you partly at fault. If you're found 50% or less at fault, you can still recover, though your damages are reduced. If you're more than 50% at fault, you can't recover.
How long do I have to file a zoo animal attack claim in Florida?
For attacks on or after March 24, 2023, you generally have two years from the date of the injury. Wrongful death claims carry a two-year deadline measured from the date of death.
What if a zoo employee was injured, not a visitor?
Employees may have options through workers' compensation and, in some cases, a separate injury claim. The right path depends on the specifics, which we can review in a free consultation.
What is my zoo animal attack case worth?
It depends on the severity of your injuries, your medical costs, lost income, long-term effects, and how fault is assigned. Every case is different, so a free consultation is the best way to understand your specific claim.