Dog Bite or Damage Injury Claim
You’re probably in one of these three categories: dog owner, someone who has been bitten by a pet dog before or parents with young children. Even if you don’t fall into any of those groups, this article is worth reading to know what are the grounds for eligibility of someone’s property injury claim.
With so many American households owning a canine companion as their pet and an estimated 800 thousand people each year seek medical treatment because they were bit by their family member (sometimes literally), it goes without saying that education on how not only identify but also prevent bites from occurring are crucial. The first step would be understanding whether its okay under relevant law – domestic animal owners may have liability over injuries caused by pets.
When a dog bites someone, they have the right to seek just compensation from the owner of that pet. However, some states say it is left up to liability issues while others are more aggressive in this regard and may take steps like seizing an animal or issuing fines for violations. In most cases though insurance will cover any expenses incurred by victims. In numbers, according to Canine Journal, the frequency of dog bite incidents in US has reached at 4.5 million each year and only 800,000 of them were treated professionally. 
- 81% of dog bites only deals minor injuries that isn’t required medical attention as it didn’t cause injury at all.
- Out of the victims’ population, 27,000 of them were given a reconstructive and thorough surgery.
- Not neutered and sprayed dogs are found out to be more involved in dog biting cases.
- Chained dogs has high likelihood to attack and has recorded high fatal attack cases.
- Dog related injury claims in 2014 has been on rise and insurance companies has expended over $530 million.
- As unfortunate as it is, 5,700+ postal service employees were reportedly to be attacked by dogs in year 2018 and higher by 25% by preceding years.
- And cases of dogs bites aren’t isolated by a single or few breed but almost breed of dogs has been involved in dog biting accidents.
Dog Bites and Its Effects
Getting bitten by a dog can be incredibly dangerous, even if the animal is just playing. The saliva from their mouth that comes into contact with your skin has bacteria in it which could lead to infection or disease, as well as transmission of rabies virus and other illnesses like parvo or distemper. These bites are not something you want on your body. There are things to mark and watch out for after being bitten by a dog as it is highly fatal and might highly develop complications and infections if left unchecked:
- Wound swells and emits redness and hotness
- Unceasing pain that lasts for more than 24 hours
- Pus release around wound
- Fever
- Violent shaking and excessive sweating in sleep
- Sepsis – The condition of sepsis is a deadly illness that can lead to organ failure, and the death. It occurs when an infection from dog bite in another part of your body has spread into your bloodstream or tissues/organs.
- Capnocytophaga – Capnocytophaga is a bacteria that can cause different types of infections. It’s most commonly associated with dog bites, but it has also been linked to cat scratches and even contact with their saliva or feces.
- Rabies – Rabies is a horrific disease that can be transmitted through the bite of an animal. The rabies virus spreads to your central nervous system, eventually making its way into your brain and killing you.
- Tetanus – Tetanus is a terrible infection that can be contracted by either humans or animals. The most common way to contract this disease is through puncture wounds, but it has also been known to result from contact with infected feces and soil as well.
If a dog bite victim is observed to show symptoms like these, he/she should be immediately send to a hospital for proper treatment. Given that hospital bills for are on middle ranged prices, for some, they may ignore the expenses of dog bite care for quality medical care, but for most out there may find its price tag high and are unavailable for them financially, though this case may be open for eligibility for an injury claim for property negligence, with the right lawyers, a victim may be freed from financial strains from this unfortunate event by granting him with compensation pay.
Ryan, LLP is an Ohio-based injury lawyer in Cleveland, and has gathered a reputation for competently represented individuals and small businesses against large insurance corporations and influencial individuals. They have tackled cases including wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and even personal injury caused by dogs or animals owned legally by someone else.