Annually, many people sustain dog bites and these attacks lead to injuries that require serious medical attention. Due to the prevalence of this type of personal injury, many dog bite claims make it to court.
If you are a victim of a dog bite, state laws and local ordinances protect your interests. Avoiding certain mistakes may help you strengthen your case.
1. Not seeking medical attention
You need to seek medical treatment immediately after a dog bite. Although you might think that the bite is not serious, there is no way to confirm the animal did not have rabies or other harmful oral bacteria without testing.
Promptly going to the emergency room may help your claim by showing the link between the dog attack and your injuries.
2. Forgetting to photograph injuries
Capture multiple angles of all your fresh injuries to use as future evidence. This will help you show the full extent of your damages and support your medical records. Make sure to also snap pictures during the healing process to demonstrate how long the healing process took.
3. Failing to report the incident
If you do not think to notify animal control or the local policy will hurt your case in the long run. Contacting these authorities gives you extra documentation of the incident. Since many jurisdictions have dog bite laws governing such attacks, an investigation can ensue to establish liability in your case.
4. Speaking to an insurance adjuster
Giving a statement to an insurance company might come back to hurt you later as the adjusters will use this information against you later on. The insurance company aims to save as much money as possible so a recorded statement might just justify a denial of your claim.
Overall, as a dog bite victim, seeking legal assistance to help you with your injury claims may benefit you in the long run as you try to negotiate a fair settlement from the insurance company or through a lawsuit.