According to the Center for Disease Control, more than 4.5 million people are victims of a dog bite in the United States each year. Of those, over 800,000 require some form of medical care. When you are the victim of an animal attack, you often need a dog bite lawyer. Young children are much more likely to be bit than adults, and their injuries are often very severe.
Many of the injured think a dog bite lawyer can’t help them, because the dog had never bitten before. In Ohio, this is not true. There is no such thing as the one-bite rule, and often there is strict liability. For nearly every attack by a dog in Ohio, there is a person who is responsible for the dog and legally liable. Insurance companies are not on your side when you present an insurance claim. As the injured party, you deserve full compensation for your dog bite claim.
WHAT TO DO AFTER BEING BIT BY A DOG
If you’ve been bit by a dog or injured by a dog’s aggressive behavior, before calling your dog bite lawyer, you should:
- Assess your wounds and determine if you need emergency care or other medical attention. If you do, call 911 or get transported to the nearest trauma center or emergency room.
- Notify the police or dog warden (ask the emergency room team to do this if you are taken before the authorities are called or arrive).
- Identify the dog and the people with it.
- Ask for vaccination and veterinarian information from the person with the dog, and find out who their homeowners or renters insurance carrier is.
- Take photographs of the dog that hurt you with your cell phone (if it is safe to do so), and photograph your wounds.
- Get follow up medical treatment for all of your dog bite injuries.
- Call your dog bite lawyer as soon as possible.
WHY EVERY PERSON BIT OR INJURED BY A DOG SHOULD CONSULT WITH A DOG BITE LAWYER
Injuries from dog bites and attacks often include:
- Puncture wounds;
- Tearing of tissue;
- Gaping wounds;
- Bruising;
- Fractured Bones;
- Torn ligaments and/or tendons;
- Permanent scars and disfigurement;
- Emotional distress and emotional trauma
- Amputations; and,
- Death (in the worst of cases)
Finding the responsible person and the dog owner’s insurance carrier is not always easy, and they may assert some defenses that only a good dog attack attorney can fight for you. Hiring a personal injury attorney early gives you a better chance of tracking down those who are responsible for your:
- Past medical expenses;
- Reconstructive surgeries;
- Lost earnings;
- Future medical care;
- Scars and disfigurement;
- Lost activities and enjoyment of life.
- Permanent injuries.
These are also very difficult injuries to negotiate on your own. A dog bite lawyer can help you properly document your injuries, gather your medical records, present evidence, hire the right medical experts, protect your statute of limitations, fight defenses that shouldn’t apply to your case, and secure you maximum compensation for all of your damages.
Both aggressive dogs and gentle dogs can bite. The breed is not what determines whether a dog will attack someone. There are many factors, many of which are due to poor care, socialization or treatment of the dog. The phrase, “there is no bad dog, only bad owners” is generally true. Protect yourself if your are attacked or otherwise hurt by calling a dog bite lawyer.
CONSULTATIONS ARE FREE AND THERE IS NO FEE FOR DOG RELATED INJURIES UNLESS I MAKE A RECOVERY FOR YOU
If you’ve been bit, knocked over, or otherwise injured as a result of somebody else’s dog, call ME, Michael Eisner, your dog bite lawyer serving all of Ohio. You can email me or call me personally at (216) 905-2200. You will get a free consultation and learn all of your legal options.