According to the CDC, approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur in the United States each year, and 800,000 of those bites result in medical care. This makes dog bites one of the most common causes of personal injury claims in America.

If you were bitten by someone else’s dog, you have a right to seek compensation from the owner. This means filing a Dog Injury claim with the owner’s insurance company. It’s important to let a skilled Fall River dog bite lawyer handle your case for the best outcome especially if it was a severe dog attack and the victim is a child.

However, if the dog attacked you and you suffered minor injuries, you can probably settle your dog injury claim without the help of a lawyer by following the steps that we will highlight in this article. But first, it’s important that you understand the two categories of damages that you can claim from the insurance company:

Special damages. These are costs that you can quantify and they include lost wages, medical bills, out-of-pocket expenses, and other measurable hard costs. These are easy to quantify because all you need to do is present receipts, statements, and bills to prove their value.

General damages. These damages are not easy to measure and they are mostly objective. They include pain and suffering and emotional distress.

Tips you should follow  to maximize your dog injury claim compensation

Seek medical attention as soon as possible

After a dog attack, it is essential that you seek immediate medical attention for your own safety and personal health. Dog bites and scratches can cause serious infections and diseases if they are not treated as soon as possible.

Make sure that you inform your doctor about your attack. Tell them how, where and when the dog attacked you, describe the dog and the owner as best as you can. This will serve as a way of linking your medical treatment to the dog attack.

If you delay medical treatment, the insurance company might deny your claim and argue that your injuries were not caused by the dog or that your injuries don’t exist in the first place.

Report the dog attack to the local animal control department

The state of Massachusetts requires healthcare providers to report dog attacks but you too should take the initiative and report the attack to your local animal control department. The animal control officer will get in touch with the dog owner to confirm if the dog has a current rabies vaccination and if it has any other health issues. The animal control officer has authority to :

• Test the dog for rabies
• Issue a citation against the dog owner
• Obligate the dog owner to muzzle or confine the dog
• Require the dog owner to bring in the dog for observation

You need to know what you’re dealing with because dogs of any size and age can be infected with rabies and other diseases which is why it is important to notify your local authorities of the dog attack.

Find out as much as you can about the dog owner

You will need the contact information of the dog owner as well as the name of their insurance company. If they are reluctant to share this information with you, try and find it from the animal control or the police report.

You can also ask to find out if there have been any previous complaints about the dog owner and also follow up with the animal control officer to find out the health status of the dog. Make sure that you obtain a copy of the health status report.

Collect evidence to support your dog injury claim 

Below are some tips that you can use to support your claim:

Photographs and videos of your injuries

If you are able to take pictures of your injuries right after the attack and throughout your healing process, it would also be beneficial to your claim. You should also take photos of any holes in the owner’s fence or anything that shows that the dog wasn’t restrained at the time of the attack.

Witness statements

If you can get a written statement from anyone who saw what happened or anyone who helped you then this would go a long way to support your claim.

Medical expenses

A copy of your medical records and bills can be used to calculate the value of your claim. Make sure that you keep all the receipts, even for out-of-pocket expenses such as bandages and pain medication.

Lost wages

You can request your employer to give you a lost wages statement that shows the time you missed from work and your pay rate. This information will also be used to calculate the value of your claim.

Any physical evidence

This includes torn clothing, damaged items, and so on.

Calculating the value of your dog injury claim 

Once you’ve gathered all the evidence that you need to support your claim, you should be able to build a solid dog injury claim case. Start by adding up your hard costs which might include:

• Lost wages
• Medical bills
• Therapy bills
• Ambulance bills
• Out-of-pocket expenses 

Once you’ve calculated all the hard costs, you can add special damages such as pain and suffering. For pain and suffering, it’s calculated by doubling the amount in hard costs. 

Submit your claim to the insurance adjuster

In most dog bite cases, you will have to file a dog injury claim with the dog owner’s homeowners insurance policy. Once you’ve submitted your claim an insurance adjuster will reach out to you and it is important that you watch what you say to them.

Do not give recorded statements when you are under medication, stressed, tired, in pain, or not prepared to answer any questions.

Most dog bite injury claim lawyers advise against giving recorded statements if you are not ready to do so.

Get the help of a Fall River dog bite lawyer 

You still can get the help of a dog bite lawyer in Fall River to help you resolve your claim if you didn’t talk to one right after the attack. If negotiations with the insurance company have stalled, you should contact a lawyer to help you expedite the process. Contact us today by calling 508-676-0001 to schedule your free initial consultation.