What to do if your dog bites someone?

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR PET DOG BITES SOMEONE

You are walking in a park with your dog, like any other day, and all of a sudden, your dog bites a stranger. The biting happened faster than you could imagine. You do not know now what to do. You feel extremely anxious and responsible for what has just happened.

At times, dogs chase after strangers or suspicious-looking people in public places. Then there are times when they become violent and pose threats to the people around them. They may even bite small children in the park. Can you imagine a parent’s terror when they find out that someone else’s dog has bitten their child? When your dog bites someone, it is 100 percent your responsibility to fix the situation. Continue reading this article to learn practical tips to handle such a situation.

Take The Dog Away: When the dog bites someone in a public space, take the dog away and lock him somewhere safe for the time being. The victim might be too stunned to do anything. The dog might be barking at the victim if he is not immediately removed from the scene.

Attend To The Victim: Once the dog is at a safe distance, you need to attend to the victim. Let them know that you care and take full responsibility for the situation. Help them wash the wound with antiseptic soap and warm water. You must call the doctor on their behalf and make a quick appointment. If the injury is severe, call an ambulance to take the victim to the hospital as soon as possible. Even if the bite does not look serious, one must seek medical attention because a bite mark can infect the skin in a matter of days if not treated properly.

  • It is natural if the victim asks for your insurance information. Your insurance company must pay for the medical bills of the victim. Therefore, be sure to provide your contact number and medical information to the victim.
  • Show proof of your dog’s rabies vaccination to the victim. It will show that you are a responsible dog owner and that the victim does not have anything to worry about. Once the wound heals itself, he will be good as new.
  • However, if the insurance company denies the claim and refuses to pay for the medical expenses, contact an experienced lawyer. The experts at Creed and Creed Law know how the insurance company works. Therefore, a lawyer will be able to assist you in getting the money you need to pay the victim for his medical expenses.

Inform Authorities: If possible, inform the local authority of the situation and state that you do not want to avoid responsibility for what had happened previously. You should do what is necessary and take your dog to the vet. Let the Veterinarian know the details. The doctors may be able to identify the reason for such violent behavior. The dog may have to be quarantined if it is not vaccinated recently. Your dog may even be labeled a “dangerous dog” if it has a history of biting people.

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Dog Bite Injuries in Denver

A dog bite can cause severe injuries, permanent scarring and disfigurement, mental anguish, and in the most tragic cases, death. It’s a traumatic experience that can have a lasting impact on the victim’s life. Even if the physical scars heal, the emotional scars can last a lifetime. It’s important to understand state laws and statutes surrounding an incident like this. If the dog owner was somehow responsible for causing your injury, you might be entitled to financial compensation.

Denver dog bite injury attorneys have experience and resources to assist you with your legal case to ensure you receive the justice you rightfully deserve. Below, we’ll discuss Colorado’s dog bite laws in detail.

Colorado Dog Bite Laws

According to Colorado statute 13-21-124, you could potentially hold the dog owner liable for the injury you suffered if:

  • You were lawfully on private or public property; and
  • The bite caused severe bodily injury or fatality.

Premises liability is a broad category that includes various situations where someone gets hurt on another person’s property due to their actions. There are premises liability lawyers in Denver that can file an insurance claim or lawsuit to recover the monetary award you need for your losses. To pursue this after a dog causes your injuries, you must use one of the following legal bases:

Strict liability only applies to situations where the victim sustained a dog bite. Under the statute above, the injury must be severe or fatal and occur on public or private property. It does not matter if the owner knew or should have known that their dog was aggressive or would bite someone.

Negligence refers to one party’s failure to act in a way that avoids harm to another. If a dog hurts you but doesn’t actually bite you, you wouldn’t be allowed to use strict liability as the basis of your legal case. You also must show evidence that the at-fault party’s actions directly led to your injury.

For example, some large dogs are strong enough to knock a person to   the ground and cause a concussion, broken bones, or cuts and wounds. If the dog wasn’t on a leash and charged at you, the owner would be negligent in this situation.

How to Handle a Dog Bite Injury

The most important thing to remember is that you should begin the legal process immediately after the incident. The longer you wait, the harder it might be to locate crucial evidence and find witnesses that can testify to what happened to you in court. Your premises liability attorney in Denver will need to investigate your case to determine if the dog owner is liable and find a way to prove it.

Step 1: Don’t let the dog get away. Call animal control if it’s a stray and keep it confined to an area where it can’t run. If the owner is around, tell them what happened and write down their name and contact information.

Step 2: Take photos at the scene of the attack. That should include a picture of the dog, your visible injuries, and any property damage that occurred during the incident. You should also obtain details about the dog’s history from the owner, such as its breed, recent vaccinations, and if there’s a history of violence.

Step 3: File a report. You can notify animal control to ensure it doesn’t hurt anyone else. If you’re in a public place, such as a restaurant, tell the manager and ask to complete an incident report. You might be able to file a claim with the business owner’s insurance company.

Step 4: Go to the doctor. It’s crucial that you don’t wait for days or weeks before seeking initial medical care. Insurance companies look at gaps in treatment as evidence that the injury never happened or it’s not serious enough to require medical intervention.

Step 5: File a claim or lawsuit. Various factors determine who you can seek compensation from after a dog bite. For example, if it happened at a friend’s house, you could file a claim with their homeowner’s insurance. If you were attacked on someone’s public property, you could file a claim with the property or business owner’s liability insurance. You could also sue the dog owner directly if their carelessness led to your injuries.

Step 6: Hire a premises liability attorney in Denver. Individuals who retain someone’s legal services typically receive higher compensation than those who choose to pursue their case alone.

Dog bite claims typically fall under the area of injury law known as premises liability. Premises liability lawyers in Denver will fight hard for the justice and compensation you deserve. Your attorney will be able to inform you of all your rights and legal options when you schedule a consultation to discuss your case in detail with them. Remember that time is limited to take legal action, so contact a dog bite attorney right away for help.

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What Happens If You Get Bitten by a Dog?

No one intends to be bitten by a dog, but sometimes man’s best friend doesn’t know better or wasn’t properly raised to distinguish friend from foe. Maybe you unknowingly egged on the canine and a reflexive action on its part turned sour, and you’re left with a nasty bite.

So, what do you do when you’ve been bitten by someone’s dog? 

Seek Medical Attention

The first thing you need to do when bitten by a dog is to seek medical attention immediately. The risk of infection in an open wound is too high to simply go home and slap an adhesive bandage on the bite. Dog bite wounds will need to be professionally cleaned and dressed to prevent infection.

Depending on the situation, rabies vaccination may also be necessary to reduce the risk of contracting the disease yourself.

Compensation with a Columbus Dog Bite Attorney

The more severe dog bites can put you in the hospital—and out of work—for an indeterminate amount of time. As your medical bills pile up fighting infection or undergoing operations, you could also miss out on wages earned. This is when a Columbus dog bite attorney can help you seek compensation for your medical bills and injuries.

The Ohio Revised Code, like many other states, allows Columbus dog bite lawyers to help victims seek compensation for their injuries and bills. The Ohio Revised Code § 955.28 states that those in charge of a dog are liable in “damages for injury, death, or loss to a person that is caused by the dog . . .”  Liability falls on owners, keepers, and harborers of the canine. This means that if a friend of the owner had taken the dog on a walk through the park and that dog bit somebody, the friend becomes liable.

If you’ve been bitten by a dog and need to seek compensation for your injuries, contact Heit Law for a successful and professional Columbus dog bite attorney.

Defenses for Dog Bite Charges

While the Ohio Revised Code holds strict liability for owners of dogs that have bitten other people, there are defenses a Columbus dog bite defense attorney can use against someone seeking compensation.

Liability does not fall on a dog owner in certain situations such as the following:

  • The individual who was bitten was committing or attempting to commit a trespass on the property of the owner,
  • The bitten individual was committing or attempting to commit a criminal offense against any person on the owner’s property, and

The bitten was teasing, tormenting, or abusing the dog on the owner’s property.

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