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You Were Thrown From A Friend's Horse At A Wedding: Can You Sue?

Outdoor horse wedding are an engaging experience that a large number of people enjoy. However, animals can be unpredictable and cause an injury to a person being married. As a result, it is essential to take steps to fully understand this situation when pursuing a personal injury case.

Legal Liability Often Falls With The Property Owner

A horse stable owner is typically placed under a variety of strict liability laws that are designed to protect anyone visiting or riding their horses. This liability is known as occupier's liability legislation. It is met if the defendant owned the horse in question, if they failed to provide a reasonable level of care for the plaintiff, and if the plaintiff was injured as a result.

However, this type of liability is null and void if the plaintiff acted in a way that caused the horse to behave poorly. Shifting liability like this is often hard for many horse owners or riders to understand. Therefore, it is crucial to understand when the rider may be at fault.

Cases May Be Complicated By Defendant Behavior

In a situation like this, the plaintiff must take actions to ensure that the horse behaves and rides well during the wedding. However, the defendant may have behaved in a way that started or upset the horse. For example, they may have kicked the horse's sides to get it to gallop and startled it. Or they may have pulled its hair or pestered it in some way.

If the defendant can prove the plaintiff behaved in a way that upset the horse, they may be able to win their case. As this kind of behavior can be very problematic for a newly wed couple, it is important to know about the various ways that proper protection was not granted to the plaintiff.

Proving Appropriate Protection Was Not Granted

The owner of the horse at the wedding must take steps to ensure that it behaves properly. These steps include training it for the demands of a wedding and walking the bride and groom through their time with the horse. They must also provide proper safety equipment and training to ensure that anyone who falls off is not injured.

If the plaintiff wishes to win their case, they need to showcase real evidence of this type of behavior occurring during their wedding. Likewise, the defendant will attempt to use testimony from others in the wedding to proves that the plaintiff startled or upset the horse in some way.

Winning this kind of case is often very difficult for both the plaintiff and the defendant. As a result, a high-quality personal injury attorney is usually a good investment. They can help walk you through this situation and increase your chances of winning.