Yes, you can claim compensation after a dog bite. Dog owners and other liable parties have a duty to protect others from an aggressive dog. If anyone with a duty of care failed to protect you or a loved one and a bite occurred, you can seek compensation through an insurance claim or lawsuit.

You will need to prove that liable parties were negligent in exposing you to an aggressive dog. A personal injury attorney having substantial experience in dealing dog bite cases can take care of everything for you, handling your case from start to finish.

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Common Injuries Resulting from Dog Bites

Researchers have found that injuries from dog bites often cause high medical costs. Injuries from dog attacks can include:

• Severe cuts
• Puncture wounds
• Nerve damage
• Muscular injuries
• Tendon injuries
• Broken bones

Infections, rabies, and other bacterial issues are a legitimate concern after you suffer a dog bite. Your lawyer will work closely with your doctors to monitor your injuries and understand the medical cost of your treatment.

Your Lawyer Will Consider the Emotional and Psychological Toll of Your Dog Bite

Your physical injuries may only tell part of the story when measuring the toll of your accident. Your psychological and emotional trauma may impede your quality of life just as much as your physical injuries.

Experiencing a dog bite may cause:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Fear of being around dogs
• Scarring and disfigurement that affects your self-esteem
• Lost quality of life
• Sleep problems
• Emotional anguish
• Chronic pain
• Other forms of pain and suffering

You may need various types of treatment for these kinds of symptoms, and some of these problems can prove permanent. Your attorney will include pain and suffering in your case and seek fair compensation from liable parties.

Pain and Suffering

Many of the conditions already alluded to, including post-traumatic stress disorder and fear of dogs, qualify as pain and suffering. This is a common category of damages in personal injury cases, including dog bite injuries.

Your lawyer can:

• Refer you to a mental health professional for evaluation
• Work with the mental health expert to identify your specific forms of pain and suffering
• Determine the financial cost of your pain and suffering

Because dog bites are often traumatic events, pain and suffering is a key consideration in your claim or lawsuit.

Healthcare Expenses

Dog bites can result in costly medical bills. You should receive compensation for:

• Emergency medical services, including wound care and other procedures to prevent infection
• Any bite-related surgeries
• Medications
• Hospitalization
• Any other medical services you require because of the dog bite

Dog bite lawyers frequently work with doctors and other medical providers. Your lawyer will identify your bite-related medical costs and include those in their settlement demands.

Professional Harm

If you suffer professionally because of the dog bite, your attorney will determine the cost of the following:

• Lost income
• Diminished earning power
• Your inability to earn promotions, bonuses, and other benefits related to your performance
• Lost benefits (which may occur if you cannot work again)

If you cannot return to work, your lawyer will keep tabs on your ongoing professional damages. If you are permanently disabled because of the dog attack, your attorney will account for the permanent loss of income and other professional benefits.

Psychological and Emotional Treatment

If you seek treatment for PTSD or other psychological or emotional hardship, your lawyer will include treatment costs in your case.

Procedures Related to Scarring and Disfigurement

Dog bites can leave scars, sometimes affecting the victims:

• Face
• Neck
• Arms
• Legs
• Hands

If you need any reconstructive or cosmetic procedures to address visible injuries caused by an aggressive dog, your lawyer will identify the value of those procedures and seek equivalent compensation.

Who Is Liable for a Dog Bite?

Dog owners are most often liable when their dog attacks someone. However, there are circumstances when a veterinarian, kennel owner, or other party is responsible for a dog.

Your lawyer will gather the facts about the dog bite and determine whose negligence led to you being bitten.

Circumstances That May Qualify as Negligence

Your lawyer will need to prove that liable parties failed in their duty of care to protect you. Some types of negligence your lawyer may discover include:

Failures by a Dog Owner

Dog owners can take several measures to minimize the risk of a bite, including:

• Not taking an aggressive dog in public places
• Keeping the dog on a leash during walks and other public outings
• Warning those who are near a dog not to pet or interact with it
• Ensuring that yards and other outdoor areas are fully enclosed so a dog cannot escape and bite anyone
• Instructing veterinarians, kennel owners, and other parties who watch the dog about any aggressive tendencies

Dog owners must be proactive in protecting others, whether or not they think a bite will occur.

Failures by a Veterinarian, Kennel Operators, or Others Responsible for the Dog

When a dog owner entrusts their animal to a third party, that third party takes ownership of the animal. The third party, like the owner, has a duty to act responsibly with respect to the dog, and failures may include:

• Failing to ask the pet owner if the dog has any aggressive tendencies
• Failing to instruct employees about a dog’s aggressiveness
• Allowing an aggressive dog to be in close proximity to human customers or vulnerable employees
• Failing to keep dogs on leashes when they are not in a confined space
• Failing to ensure outdoor spaces are fully enclosed

If anyone did anything to put you at risk of being bitten, they may have been negligent. Such negligence generally makes the party financially responsible for a victim’s bite-related damages.

Why Hire a Dog Bite Injury Lawyer After an Animal Attacks You

A dog bite injury attorney will lead any insurance claim or lawsuit you are entitled to pursue. You may choose to hire a lawyer rather than lead your own case because:

• You may be psychologically fragile: Those who endure a violent encounter with a dog may be rattled, understandably so. You may have little tolerance for stress and may not want to re-experience the details of the dog attack. Therefore, you may be unprepared to handle a bite-related claim or lawsuit.

• Your physical injuries may require rest and treatment: Your bite-related injuries may prevent you from handling the demands of a claim or lawsuit. You can struggle to secure evidence or handle the many other aspects of your case. You may also jeopardize a thorough recovery if you don’t take this time to rest and focus on treatment.

• You may be unfamiliar with bite-related claims or lawsuits: A lack of familiarity with insurance claims and lawsuits related to dog bites may cause unnecessary delays in your case. Such inexperience may also prevent you from presenting the strongest case possible.

• A law firm will pay for your case: Without a lawyer, you will pay out of pocket to build any insurance claim or lawsuit you pursue. If you hire a lawyer, their firm will pay for expert services and other case-related expenses.

• There is no financial risk in hiring a dog bite lawyer: Law firms usually offer contingency fees to dog bite victims. Such fees mean the law firm only receives payment for its services if the client receives a settlement or judgment.

You should not underestimate the importance of experience when it comes to a dog bite claim or lawsuit. Your lawyer will understand the steps required to complete your case and anticipate the potential challenges your case may present—all because they have relevant experience.

How Your Dog Bite Lawyer Will Fight for the Compensation You Deserve

Your attorney will build a case that is specific to you, but most dog bite injury lawyers take a similar approach that includes:

Determining Exactly Why the Bite Happened

Your legal team will secure any evidence that speaks to negligence, which can include:

• Statements by liable parties admitting their negligence
• Video footage of the bite or of the events that led to the bite
• An expert’s opinion about how liable parties’ negligence led to your bite
• Photographs that are relevant to your case (such as those showing a fence with a hole in it)

Evidence is unique to each case. Your attorney and their team will secure any evidence that can contribute to your financial recovery.

Establishing Liability for the Victim’s Damages

After evaluating all evidence and information, your lawyer will determine who is financially responsible for your bite-related damages. Multiple parties can be liable, and your lawyer will consider all liable parties when developing a case strategy.

Documenting the Bite Victim’s Damages

Part of building your case is documenting the harm you’ve suffered because of an aggressive dog. Your attorney may document these damages using:

• Photographs of visible injuries
• Medical images of injuries (such as X-rays and MRIs)
• Your mental health service provider’s diagnosis of PTSD and other conditions related to the dog bite
• Medical bills
• Past income statements that show how much income you have lost since being bitten
• Any other documentation that substantiates your bite-related damages

Your lawyer will organize all documentation in preparation for settlement negotiations.

Calculating the Value of a Fair Settlement

Your attorney will calculate exactly how much compensation you are entitled to using the documentation they collect. They will consider your expected recovery timeline when formulating their case value.

Completing Settlement Negotiations

Your lawyer will be your representative during settlement negotiations, during which they may:

• Provide all available documentation of your damages
• Explain why liable parties’ negligence led to you being bitten (including all evidence of negligence that your attorney has gathered)
• Explain how they calculated their settlement demands

Your attorney may face many different negotiation tactics. An experienced lawyer will be ready for liable parties’ arguments against paying you the sum you are entitled to.

Filing a Lawsuit if Necessary

Dog bite injury attorneys must sometimes file lawsuits on behalf of victims. Usually, lawsuits become necessary because liable parties have refused to pay the dog bite victim fairly.

If filing a lawsuit becomes an option, your attorney will discuss the possibility with you. If you choose to sue liable parties, your attorney will manage every aspect of the legal process.

Completing Any Necessary Trial

If you sue liable parties and those liable parties still refuse to offer a fair settlement, you and your lawyer may choose to go to trial. Your attorney will oversee every detail of your court case if that is how your case unfolds.

Liable Parties Could Blame You for the Dog Bite

Once you notify an insurance company or negligent party that you are seeking compensation, you may face several forms of pushback. Those who owe you compensation may:

• Claim that liable parties did not know the dog was aggressive
• Allege that you did something to provoke the bite
• Undervalue the cost of your bite-related damages
• Engage in other tactics in an attempt to avoid paying you the compensation you deserve

These tactics can be distressing, especially when you have done nothing to cause the injuries you have suffered. By having a dog bite injury lawyer leading your case, you:

• Avoid facing these tactics directly
• Allow your attorney to present evidence and documentation that renders these tactics ineffective
• Trust your lawyer to overcome such tactics as they fight for the entire settlement or judgment you deserve

Your lawyer may provide a sense of relief and stability during a difficult time in your life. It is difficult to explain how valuable this can be for someone recovering from a dog bite.

Hire Your Dog Bite Injury Lawyer as Soon as Possible

Your lawyer may need to file your case soon after you hire them, so don’t wait to retain your dog bite injury attorney.