Dog bite incidents can be extremely traumatic and painful; most people will hopefully never
deal with such an incident, but if you do, here’s what you need to do to protect yourself.
1. Call Animal Control so they can investigate and produce an incident report. This
investigation will look into the dog owner’s contact information, as well as ensuring that
the dog was up to date on their vaccinations.
2. Take photos and videos of your injuries, the dog that bit you, and exchange information
with the dog’s owner.
3. Seek immediate medical care as soon as possible. Animal bites must be taken extremely
seriously as animal bites may result in infections and further injuries than what you see.
4. Call an attorney to guide you through the legal process of filing a dog-bite claim on your
behalf.
The Legal Process of A Dog Bite Case
Whether you have an animal control report or you simply exchange information with the dog’s
owner, your attorney will need to have the dog owner’s contact information in order to file
your dog bite claim. Dog bite claims are typically filed against the homeowner’s insurance policy
that the dog owner has, which covers animal attacks.
As your treatment progresses and you heal, your attorney will continue to gather evidence of
your injury; once your treatment is done, your attorney will draft a demand letter demanding a
fair compensation for your injuries. This demand will be based on a number of factors:
1. The medical treatment that you’ve received to date for your injuries;
2. Any future medical treatment that you will need to receive for your injuries; &
3. Any permanent injuries that you must now live with as a result of this incident.
If the insurance company is smart, they will work with your attorney to settle the claim with a
fair and just offer. Unfortunately, that is not often the case; insurance companies are often
willing to roll the dice and see if you are willing to litigate a case to receive a fair offer for your
injuries. If that is the case, then we are willing and ready to go as far as we need to go in order
to protect your interests.
