All About Dog Bites And Personal Injury – Everything You Need To Know!

Some dog bites do not lead to serious complications, but there are thousands that do and require serious medical care and even hospitalization. As compared to adults, children are at a higher risk of getting seriously injured by a dog bite. This article focuses on dog bites and the common questions that come to mind.

Some statistics about dog bites

According to studies, around 800,000 dog bites occur annually that need medical care. Of these 800,000 cases, around 330,000 cases require medical treatment at the hospital. This explains that around 2000 dog attacks occur every day in the country, and around 1000 people need medical treatment every day due to it.

Since children are more vulnerable to dog attacks, around 51% of the victims of dog attacks are children. The ages that are at the highest risk of being attacked include the ages of 5 to 9, and children from their infancy age to 2 years of age are more likely to succumb to death due to a dog bite.

And since children are at a much higher risk of getting serious injuries in a dog attack, 26% of children attacked by dogs will need medical treatment as compared to 12% of adults.

Why are children more vulnerable to dog bites?

Children are vulnerable to dog attacks due to their small size and less weight and thus often sustain serious injuries.

·         Since children are short, their faces are usually at the same level as those of dogs. This makes it easier for the dog to bite on their faces or shoulders. Injuries sustained usually cause permanent dis-figuration.

·         Children are small with less weight as compared to adults and thus are not strong enough to physically fight or outrun the dog.

·         Children have small hands and limbs, which makes it easier for dogs to take these into their mouths. And so children suffer more serious and severe injuries to the hands, arms, and legs.

This is the reason why when a dog bites children, they can sustain serious injuries like eye injuries, facial injuries, torn tendons or ligaments, puncture wounds, nerve damage, or broken bones. These injuries will require extensive medical treatment that is usually expensive.

In addition to the physical injuries, the mental and emotional trauma adds more to the pain and suffering due to a dog bite. Since the children do not have the mental maturity to process the trauma surrounding the dog attack, they suffer from severe anxiety, depression, and PTSD. This usually requires years of therapy and counseling.

Which breeds of dogs are highly responsible for dog attacks?

There is controversy when it comes to dog-specific legislation since owners of these breeds think that they are unjustly being blamed and singled out. But there are many studies and statistics that support this legislation.

So the breed that is mostly responsible for causing serious dog bites include pit bulls, and they account for 65% of all dog attacks. Pit bulls, rottweilers, American bulldogs, huskies, German shepherds, and mastiffs are the other dog breeds that are mostly involved in dog attacks. While spitz, dalmatian, Pekingese, great dane, and pointer are dog breeds that are least likely to cause serious dog attacks.

How to protect your children from dog bites?

The most common location for a dog attack to occur is the owner’s house or within a relative or friend’s house. So whenever your child plays with a dog, it is best to supervise your children in the presence of a dog. And even before that, it’s important to know about the dog you have in your house.

Before adopting, you need to know how it behaves, does it has any history of attacks, it will harm your child. Moreover, it’s also essential to learn about the dog’s signaling behavior that allows you to know when the attack may be close. But what happens if your child is bitten by another dog? 

A neighbor’s dog or a dog at the dog park? Then you need to file a claim against them to recover the compensation you deserve. But to do so, you need to be sure that you or your child were not at fault. In order to prove your claim, you will have to prove that the dog in question was loose or you and your child were on your neighbor’s property when it happened.

In this way, they will then have to pay for the medical bills. And if the dog attack occurred in a dog park, then you will have to get the dog owner’s name and personal information as well as the name and contact information of witnesses in the park who can claim that they saw your child being bitten by the dog.

After the attack, you need to seek immediate medical care. And then, you can contact the insurance company to discuss the claim.

Do you need to hire a lawyer if your child is attacked?

If your child was attacked and bitten by a dog and sustained serious injuries, then you may be eligible for compensation for the medical bills and other damages. The law surrounding dog bite injuries is complicated, and only an experienced lawyer can help you out.

When the dog was loose, the law will hold the owner liable for the injuries just because the dog was loose and it bit the child. But if the dog was not loose, then the law puts a negligence standard. But each case is unique, and there are a number of factors that can complicate the case. These can include:

·         The dog in question did not have any history of attacks, and the owner did not know about its aggressive nature.

·         The owner warned the child to stay away, but the child did not listen.

·         Your child was trespassing the owner’s property when attacked.

·         Your child was provoking the dog that caused the attack.

The outcome of your claim will depend on these factors and how the law affects your case. An experienced and qualified Georgia Dog Bite Lawyer will know how the law works and will be able to find important information to support and strengthen your claim.

In conclusion

Dog attacks do happen, and the victims are mostly children. So you need to supervise your child when a dog is around. If your child has been bitten by a dog and sustained serious injuries, then you need immediate medical care.

You also need to hire a lawyer who understands the law and will support you throughout the process. Experienced and skilled lawyers can help you get the compensation you need for your child’s speedy recovery.