10 THINGS TO DO IF A DOG BITES YOU
Did You Know?
1,000 dog bite victims per day are seen in hospital emergency rooms.
If you or a loved one is a victim of a dog bite or other animal attack, you should speak to a Dog Bite lawyer immediately to learn more about preserving your rights and remedies. A Dog Bite lawyer will be able to explain the value of your case and help you navigate through the complicated legal process. Most lawyers who handle these types of personal injury matters work on a contingency basis.
If you have been injured and believe that you may have a case against an individual, corporation, or other entity, it is very important that you do not delay in seeking legal representation. If substantial time has passed since the incident, you should contact a local attorney immediately.
To preserve your claim against the owner of the dog, Use the following guidelines:
- Identify the animal that bit you. If the animal isn't caught and tested, you may be subject to a very painful series of rabies vaccinations. If you were attacked by a dog or any wild animal being kept by a person, you probably are entitled to receive compensation from the animal's owner to pay your medical bills, reimburse you for lost income, and help you overcome the pain and suffering from your injuries.
- Dog Owners name. Get the name, address, and telephone number of the person who owns the animal that attacked you.
- List of Witnesses. Get the name and address of everyone who saw the attack, or heard or saw events immediately before and after it that are part of the "story" of the attack. If possible, get information about the owner of the dog.
- Medical Attention. Make sure that the victim gets medical attention. Keep track of your medical bills and treatments.
- Get Photographs. Photograph the wounds if possible. If it is not possible, then insist that the physicians do so at the hospital, prior to treating the victim. In any event, photograph them after the victim returns from the hospital (leaving the bandages intact!), the day after the attack, the next day, and then every couple of days.
- Caution on Signing Papers. Don't sign anything until you're had the chance to discuss your matter with a lawyer. It is OK to sign the hospital admission paperwork. DO NOT sign anything presented to you by an insurance company, the owner of the dog, and the landlord or other owner of the property where the attack took place.
- Do not permit the dog to be destroyed! It is the best evidence in the case. There must be precise examination and evaluation of the size and spacing of its teeth, the contents of its stomach, the presence of blood on its fur, and its DNA. Mouth casting is essential.
- Plastic Surgeons and Severe Scaring. If you are wounded on the face, insist on treatment by a plastic surgeon because emergency room doctors are great at keeping people alive but necessarily the best at making stitches and wounds look good!
- Contact the Animal Control Board. If you are not familiar with the dog or its owner, contact your local animal control board and report the incident. Animal control officers may be able to locate the dog and determine its rabies vaccination status.
- Do not hesitate to consult a Dog Bite lawyer. There are laws called "statutes of limitations." They say that you lose all of your rights unless you file a court case within a certain amount of time after sustaining a bodily injury. Therefore, call a Dog Bite lawyer as soon as possible.
Dog Bite Victim
A dog bite victim may incur many different kinds of damages and losses, from medical bills and emotional damage, to loss of the opportunity to earn income in the future because of disfigurement. A victim may be entitled to recover these losses from another person and that person's insurance company, provided that the victim presents the necessary proof, first to the insurance company and then possibly in a court of law.
Dog Bite Lawyer
A Dog Bite with expertise in representing people with these injuries brings value to your claim and has studied the effects of dog bite injuries, how to gather the evidence necessary to completely prove not only what happened in the past but also what the future effects will be, the practices and procedures of insurance companies when handling serious cases like these, and how to properly evaluate these cases to make sure that the victims receive what they deserve.
A Dog Bite Lawyer with expertise has the ability to objectively evaluate both the strengths and the weaknesses of a claim. Furthermore, an attorney is the only person who can turn a claim into a lawsuit if you are not being treated fairly. Without the threat of a lawsuit, you are at the mercy of the insurance company. |
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