January 5, 2022
Millions of people suffer dog bite injuries every year. A dog bite can happen when you least expect, even from an ordinarily gentle dog. In many cases, the dog owner’s negligence is to blame. A dog bite injury can give rise to a personal injury compensation claim, and you will need a lawyer with experience in dog bite cases.
How Often Do Serious Dog Bites Happen?
According to CDC dog bite injury statistics, nearly a million serious dog bites happen every year. While some of these incidents are unavoidable, many are the consequence of inadequate supervision, improper training, and other forms of owner negligence. If you suffer common dog bite injuries, you will need to deal with significant medical bills, lost work time, and other losses. Contact an experienced dog bite attorney to discuss your claim.
What to Do After a Dog Bite?
Clients frequently ask us what they should do to preserve their dog bite claims. Following are some tips on what to do if you get bit by a dog.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
If you can, take some dog bite injury photos before treatment. Seek medical attention as soon as you can, especially if you have deep puncture wounds. An infection can threaten your life under certain circumstances. Prompt treatment will also prevent the insurance company from claiming that your injuries did not occur until after the dog attack.
Identify the Dog’s Owner
Since you can’t file a claim against the dog, you need to identify the dog’s owner. If the owner is not obvious, and if the dog is running free, you might need to contact animal control. Animal control might be able to find a microchip on the dog that could identify the owner.
Obtain Insurance Information
Of course, the dog owner might be your friend and neighbor. Don’t worry about driving your neighbor into bankruptcy if you claim dog bite injuries. Most homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies cover dog bites. You should obtain insurance information from the owner.
Document the Bite
Take photographs of your injuries at various points during the healing process. You may need them as evidence later, because your doctor probably won’t photograph your injuries. Nevertheless, your medical records serve as important documentation. Keep a journal of your symptoms and the progress of your recovery.
Consult a Lawyer
Selecting a seasoned dog bite lawyer is probably the most important decision you will make during the entire claims process. A lawyer can help you:
- Investigate your claim
- Determine the true value of your claim
- Analyze the insurance policy to determine the scope and extent of coverage
- Draft a dog bite injury demand letter to send to the insurance company as a third-party claimant
- Negotiate generous dog bite injury settlements, with no need for you to participate in negotiations. The final decision on settlement, however, is yours alone to make
- File a lawsuit if necessary
- Go to trial if necessary
Going to trial is not normally necessary, because most of our clients’ dog bite claims settle out of court.
How Much Can I Recover From a Dog Bite Injury Claim?
Dog bite injury compensation amounts vary drastically from case to case, depending on the severity of the injuries. An experienced dog bite injury attorney can help you calculate the value of your dog bite injury compensation claim.
Let a Stracci Law Group Dog Bites Personal Injury Lawyer Handle Your Claim
We operate on a contingency fee basis. You pay us nothing in advance, and you will owe us nothing until and unless we win your case. If we win, your bill will amount to a pre-agreed percentage of your award. It will not come due until your money arrives.
Contact a dog bite accident attorney at Stracci Law Group at 219-525-1000, or simply contact us online. We serve clients in Crown Point [46307, 46308], Merrillville [46410, 46411], Hammond [46320, 46323], and elsewhere in Northwest Indiana.
