If you have been attacked by a bear, or any wild animal, who may be held liable depends on where the attack happened.

If you were attacked by a wild animal within the premises of someone’s private property, you could possibly sue the property owner to get compensation for damages. If the property owner had knowledge of the wild animal’s presence in his or her premises, he or she has the duty to take reasonable precaution to prevent other people from getting attacked by the animal. Failure to take such action, if it resulted in harm to others, is tantamount to negligence and hence may make the owner liable for the injury. However, property owners are not legally responsible for unforeseeable wild animal attacks. In other words, property owners are not strictly liable for animal attacks in their premises.

If the attacked occurred on public land, the laws in your state will determine whether or not you can sue the government. In Alaska, for instance, a woman was able to hold the state government liable for her injuries, after she was attacked by a bear that got attracted to the pile of garbage near her which the state of Alaska failed to clean up. In California, on the other hand, a man failed to put liability on the state government for getting mauled by a mountain lion in a state park. The court ruled that the state of California cannot be held legally responsible for injuries resulting from natural conditions on unimproved public property and that wild animals are a natural part of the condition of the unimproved property.

If you have been attacked by a wild animal, whether in private or public land, consult with an animal attack attorney to help you with your claim.