5 Things to Know About Dog Bite Injuries

In dealing with several dog bite cases at this law firm, we have learned that there are some injuries that are almost universal, by which I mean a lot of cases will see these kinds of injuries. Those injuries can range from lacerations that might necessitate stitches or staples, to orthopedic injuries. You may have been attacked by a dog and fallen as a result, or you may have been viciously pulled from a limb as the result of the attack. There can be the obvious injuries which would include cuts, scrapes, and bruises, all of which require medical attention. What we’ve also learned is that, after inflammation dies down, it’s not uncommon for a victim of a dog attack to also have orthopedic injuries.

We handle a fair amount of dog bite and dog attack cases here at the firm. The main question that we get asked is, “What do I do after a dog bite or dog attack?” There are several steps, the first of which is to do your best to alert the owner that an incident has occurred. It’s not a bad idea to try to take photographs of the dog, and the injuries that you believe are related to that attack as close in time to when the attack happened. It’s also not a bad idea to get animal control on the line and ask animal control to come down there. They’ll usually do a report, and that will indicate ownership of the dog.Other important questions to ask the owner are, “Has the dog had their shots?” and, “Has the dog been vaccinated?” This leads us to the next thing that we recommend you do, which is treat and get medical attention as immediately as possible, as well as following your doctor’s advice.

A question that we are often faced with during the initial intake phase of a dog bite or a dog attack case, is whether insurance applies to incidents involving dog bites and dog attacks. The general answer is yes. If the homeowner of the location where the dog bite or attack occurred has an insurance policy, their dogs or any pets are usually covered under those policies. What’s more is, if the owner of the property does not have insurance, you may well have insurance that covers you for that loss under your own homeowner’s or renter’s policy.

The other day, we had a client come in and wanted to speak with us about a recent dog attack that he was a victim of.His inquiry or his main question, among a litany of other questions, was, “I don’t think the owner of the dog had insurance. What should I do?” Well, the good news in that case was that he had a homeowner’s policy that covered him for that attack. The broader point and the broader lesson is that, even though you may have been the victim of a dog bite or attack and the dog owner may not carry insurance, your own insurance company or insurance policy may cover the loss.

5. Can anyone other than the dog owner be responsible for a bite?