What Personal Injury Lawyers Want You to Know about Dog Bite Claims

1. April 12, 2017 What Personal Injury Lawyers Want You to Know about Dog Bite Claims Image 1: Personal Injury Lawyers Want You to Know How Costly a Dog Bite Can Be If you have been bitten by a dog, then you know the pain and anguish it causes both you and your family. While you might imagine that this can’t be a common occurrence, you may actually be surprised to learn just how many people are bitten by dogs every day. 1

2. In the U.S., a dog bite occurs every 75 seconds, with 1,000 people requiring emergency care and treatment for a dog bite every day. Moreover, approximately 9,500 of these dog-bite victims need to be hospitalized for treatment of their injury. The costs involved with dog bites is huge, but the claim process can be difficult. That’s why personal injury lawyers want you to know some vital information to help you recover financially from your dog bites. The Cost of Dog Bites On top of the trauma, both emotionally and physically, you also have to bear the financial costs that come as a result of a dog bite. It is estimated that dog bite victims lose between $1-2 billion annually. Dog bite claims account for one-third of homeowners’ insurance liability claim dollars paid out, at about $570 million. For the individual who has been bitten, the average hospitalization bill is about $18,200, about 50% higher than the average injury related hospital stay. When you consider that 28,000 people had to undergo reconstructive surgery in 2015 as a result of dog bites, you can see how medical bills can add up quickly. When you add to this any lost income that has resulted from the injury you sustained, it becomes apparent how a dog bite can cause severe financial burdens for families. What You Need to Know As with most types of case, there is a statute of limitations for filing a claim when you’ve been bitten by a dog. Since a claim for a dog bite can fall under a personal injury claim, you need to check with your personal injury lawyer what the statute of limitations is for these types of claims. In the state of California, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years. Therefore, you have two years after the bite occurred to file a claim. The next thing that personal injury lawyers want you to know is when the owner is liable for damages as a result of a dog bite. In California, this is the case when the damages were caused by a dog and 2

3. when the person bitten was in a public place or lawfully in a private place. You need to be aware that there is an exception for people who suffer dog bites while a dog is carrying out police or military work. The last thing that your personal injury lawyer will want you to know is that in states like California, where there is a strict liability for dog bites, the owner cannot escape liability by claiming they didn’t know the dog would act aggressively. There are many ways in which personal injury lawyers can help you and your family recover from injuries sustained from dog bites. To find out more information about your case, make sure you contact personal injury lawyers who possess knowledge and experience in dog-bite litigation and your state’s laws. About D & Z Law Group: At D & Z Law Group, our goal is to create life-long relationships with our clients. We want you to see why we are different from any other legal representation. If you have had an accident and want more information about a personal injury lawyer, then you should contact us straight away. Sources: How Personal Injury Lawyers Help Accident Victims, HG.org Quick Statistics - Dog Bite Statistics, DogsBite.org 3