Have you sustained injuries from a dog attack? Do you know whether or not a dog owner is aware of the dog’s nature? Then, you can sue the owner for the incident. Yes, it’s true; a dog’s mischievous act of biting can land the owner in great trouble. An owner can be held liable to pay compensation to the injured, including reimbursing the medical expenses and property damages.
In most cases, a dog owner may refuse to pay compensation and put several accusations against you to provoke the dog to bite. In such circumstances, hiring a law attorney can be the right decision and prove the dog owner guilty and achieve fair compensation. dog bite lawyer in St Petersburg can assist you in recovering the compensatory damages.
Types of Dog Bite Injuries
A dog attack can lead to a range of injuries. Here are some of the injuries mentioned so you can explain the situation in court and bring a lawsuit against the dog owner.
- Abrasions: These are superficial injuries that don’t go beyond the epidermis layer of the skin. It is not a severe one and does not cause bleeding.
- Punctures: When a dog’s teeth puncture the skin and tend to leave deep wounds, punctures happen. It increases the infection risk and seeks immediate medical aid.
- Lacerations: When a dog bite results in deep tears. It goes beyond the epidermis inside muscles, bones, and blood vessels.
- Rabies: A dog bite with the worst infections results in rabies. The symptoms start developing in a day or two. It’s the reason why you should not neglect dog bites and prevent rabies from developing.
Categorizing Dog Bites to the extent of the seriousness of the Injuries
If a dog bites you, it’s important to assess the wounds right after the attack to reduce the bacterial infection risks. First, check out the extent of the injury seriousness and determine the category your wound falls into.
Level One
This type of bite is caused due to the dog’s aggressive behavior. It doesn’t have skin contact and is a warning to the victim.
Level Two
The level two bite makes contact with the human’s skin leaving light red bruising. In addition, it instills a fear of dog attacks among the victims.
Level Three
The level three bites cause serious wounds to the victim. It breaks the victim’s skin leaving bloody marks. These bites are traumatic and can transmit germs requiring immediate medical attention.
Level Four
The level four dog bites are harder, causing severe bruising. This type of bite can even kill the children in the attack.
Level Five
The level five dog bites cause extreme injuries to the victim. It requires extensive stitches and may even require surgery. Therefore, these types of attacks must be reported so that it does not attack any individual again.
Level Six
The level six dog bites are extremely destructive and frightening. Fortunately, this is rare but can cause the death of a victim.
On What Basis Can You Prove the Dog Owner Liable for a Dog Attack
If the dog owner’s negligence and carelessness are proved, a dog owner can be held liable for the dog attack.
- Dog attacked you without provoking: You didn’t hit or provoke the dog, and even then, it attacked you.
- The dog has a history of biting: Even knowing the previous history of biting the individual, the dog’s carelessness and negligence caused the dog to bite you.
- The dog is trained for dog fighting: There were no chains, locks, fences, gates, or warning signs, and negligence caused the dog to bite the trespassers.
Legal Actions You Can Take Against a Dog Owner
You can take legal action if the dog owner refuses to pay for the injury and related losses. It includes:
- File a Lawsuit Against the Owner: You can call the attorney, file a lawsuit against the dog owner, and prove them guilty.
- File Claims with the Insurance Companies: One can file the injury and other losses claim with the dog owner’s insurance company.
What’s Your Dog Bite Case Worth?
Each case is different, and it depends upon the extent of the injuries to determine the worth of the case. The case’s worth also depends upon the gender and the age of the victim. For example, a woman with a scar on her face will likely get more compensation than a man with old age.
What Compensations can you Get from a Dog Owner?
Medical Compensations: A dog attack is tragic and can cause serious injuries, including lacerations, facial, head, and neck injuries, permanent scarring, rabies, and other infections. The medical expenses include:
- Hospitalization charges
- Medication bills
- Plastic surgery bills
- Rabies and injectable tetanus expenses
- Post-operative care
You can keep the medical bills intact. It can help to claim medical compensation from the dog owner or insurance companies.
Property Damages: Tearing the purse, ruining the backpack, and other accessories are common in a dog bite attack. Mostly a victim doesn’t bother about the property damage but can claim compensation for it.
Lost Wages: There can be times when you may miss work while recovering from dog bite injuries. You can reclaim the wages for the recovery time. The insurance companies calculate:
- Salary
- Commissions
- Bonus
You can get compensation for the financial losses once an attorney calculates the total payouts.
Psychiatric Trauma: A dog attack causes panicking situation and leaves victims afraid of pets throughout life. The disfigurements may remind you of the attack whenever you see a dog. Such fear of dog attacks can impact emotional well-being and may require assessment from health experts. It may need:
- Therapies
- Psychiatric appointments
- Medication charges
You can recover compensation for these bills to recover the financial losses.
Punitive Damages: The lawsuit punishes the defendant for intentionally releasing the aggressive dogs to scare the victims. You can be awarded compensation for punitive damages. In addition, it can punish the dog owner for letting the dog roam outside without chains and leaving the gate open.
How Can an Attorney Help You in a Dog Bite Case?
Handling a dog bite case of your own is a daunting process. So, hiring an attorney soon after the dog bite case is a good decision. Here are a few things that illustrate how an attorney can help you in a dog bite case.
An Attorneys Reviews the Case
An attorney recreates the case and talks to you to know more about the case. The dog bite lawyers with proficiency in handling the cases determine the possible viability to suggest the best strategies for the case.
Gather Evidence of the Dog Attack
The lawyer collects the relevant information necessary for the case. They gather the statements of the victim, eyewitnesses, and photographs of the attack site. These act as strong evidence and prove the dog owner guilty.
Communicates with the Dog Owners
The lawyers communicate with the dog owner to get the information necessary for the case. It includes:
- Does the dog owner hold any insurance plan?
- Was it the dog owner’s mistake or not?
A law attorney talks to the dog owners about negotiations and fair settlements.
Handle Negotiations with the Insurance Companies
More often, insurance companies bother less and do everything possible to pay little to the insurance companies. An attorney negotiates with the insurance companies to try to obtain compensation.
Take Case to Trial
There are certain conditions when a dog owner and insurance companies refuse the settlements. For such cases, a law attorney with knowledge of laws takes the case to trial to achieve maximum compensation.
Wrapping Up
If you have been hurt in a dog bite accident and sustained injuries, you should speak to an attorney and prove the dog owner’s negligence. The attorney understands the complications involved in a case and streamlines everything on your behalf to protect your laws. Suppose you or any individual is recently involved in a dog bite case and needs legal representation.
At the Coleman Law Group, there are skilled dog bite injury attorneys who will work with you to obtain the compensation you are entitled to. We’re ready to do everything in our power to assist you in obtaining compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages.
Get a free consultation from compassionate and sympathetic injury lawyers by calling the Coleman Law Group.
