Articles Posted in Dog Bites

No one likes to think that their dog is capable of attacking, but even the most charming dogs can bite. Some owners promote aggression in their pets by allowing aggression to go unchecked. As a result, almost 800,000 the Americans each year require medical attention for dog bites. Each year, about a dozen people die as a result of their dog bites, and according to statistics many people simply do not report the personal injuries they suffer from dog attacks, so the numbers of dog bites are actually much higher.

Many people are bitten by either their own dog or by a dog that they know, but dog bites can occur from any canine. Children are far more likely to be bitten by dogs, and service providers and the elderly are also more likely to be bitten by dogs.

If you own a dog, you have a serious responsibility to prevent aggression. You should always think carefully before purchasing a dog. Talk to a veterinarian and several breeders to find a dog breed that suits your personality and is not aggressive. Where possible, always buy a young puppy and make sure that it is socialized properly. Train your puppy to feel comfortable around people and other animals. Always make sure that your puppy feels comfortable and is never teased or threatened. Take your puppy to obedience school and have it trained properly so that it is not aggressive.

Florida is a state with many animals, pets, and wildlife. While this makes the land extraordinarily beautiful and pleasant to live in, it can also be a hazard. In the United States, millions of people annually are bitten by animals. In most cases, bites occur on the dominant hand. However, animal bites can also occur in the neck and head area. Animal bites can be quite a serious problem. They can pass on rabies and other illnesses. In some cases, animal bites require extensive and expensive cosmetic surgery as well as rehabilitation. Bites can affect the mobility of a person and can even lead to brain injuries. Unfortunately, children are most affected by animal bites, and they are the ones most likely to suffer serious injuries. Every year, serious injuries to minors and children are due to animal bites.

Most animal bites that occur in Florida and across the country are from dogs. However, bites from wild animals are a close second common cause of bites. Bites from wild animals are a problem because the risk of infection is much higher with these animal bites. Although many pets in the United States are vaccinated, animal bites from wild animals do carry the risk of rabies. Wild animals such as raccoons, skunks, bats, and other animals also do bite and can transmit rabies.

Bites do not have to break the skin in order to be dangerous. Animals can tear, crush, and damage ligaments, tendons, muscles, bones, and nerves, even if the skin is not broken. When the skin is broken during an animal attack, the additional risk of infection must be considered. If you have suffered from animal bites, and experience swelling, pain, a sense of warmth, or redness around the wound, you may have an infection. It is important to see a medical professional in order to determine whether you are infected. Even if you have no symptoms, it is wise to see a physician. A doctor can determine whether there has been any permanent or lasting damage as a result of your bite wound. In some cases, infection does not have obvious symptoms, and delaying treatment can complicate your situation considerably.

Each year, Florida personal injury attorneys see potential clients who have suffered serious injury due to a dog bite. These injury victims may face long recovery times, lost income, permanent injury or disfigurement, or huge hospital bills. Despite all this, many Florida lawyers see victims who have made mistakes that can impair their ability to make a claim. The actions that victims take immediately after a dog bite can help immensely when it is time to seek assistance, most attorneys agree. If you or a loved one is bitten by a dog, here are the steps that should be taken:

1) Seek safety. Always get out of a dangerous situation first. A dog that has inflicted even a minor wound can come back and continue to bite or attack, so seek shelter and safety first. Get away from the dog.

2) Try to identify the dog. Try to determine who owns the dog, take a picture of the animal, note the address where the attack took place, and get a good physical description of the dog. This is very important in case the dog may have rabies.

3) Do not get into an altercation with the dog owner. Many owners will defend their dogs and will simply suggest that you provoked the animal. Arguing will not help you.

4) Do not make any statements or sign any papers about the case. Insurance companies, the dog owner, or the property owner may put pressure on you to make a formal statement about happen. This may help them avoid liability for your injury. Never sign or say anything without an attorney’s representation.

5) File a police report. The authorities can investigate what has happened and can work to ensure that others are not injured by the same dog. A police report also starts a paper trail about the case.

6) Get medical help at once. Dog bites and dog-related injuries can get infected and can scar quite badly. Some dogs may have rabies or other illnesses. Getting help ensures that you won’t experience complications down the road.

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Dog bites get a lot of media attention, especially when they cause injuries to minors and children. However, bites are not the only dog-related injuries that need to be considered. Each year, Florida attorneys see many personal injury cases related to dogs, and some of these do not involve bites. The fact is, dogs can knock people over, cause car accidents, upset bicycles, and can cause injury with their claws. In all these cases, owners can be held liable for the injuries their pets can cause.

Dogs that knock people over can cause serious injuries. In fact, being knocked over by a dog can cause some of the same serious injuries as a slip and fall accident. Victims can experience broken bones and even serious injuries such as spinal cord injuries and brain injuries. Plus, in many cases when a dog knocks someone down, the dog will climb up on the prone person. This can cause further injuries, and even internal injuries, especially if the dog is large.

Although dogs do not have sharp claws, they can claw or scratch people. Since large dogs often have more physical strength than a cat or other small animal, dog scratches can be deep and can lead to disfigurement. Some scratches require medical treatment and some can become infected.

Dog bites affect thousands of people in Florida each year. Dog bites are a problem for both adults and children. They can lead to disfiguring personal injuries, permanent muscle injuries, and psychological trauma. In cases involving small children, dog bites can even prove fatal.

In the summer, dog bites in Florida can be a more common issue. The pleasant summer days can mean that more pet owners leave their dogs outdoors unattended and more people are out enjoying the excellent weather as well. This means that pets and humans come into contact more often, creating more opportunities for dog bites. Experts suggest a few basic guidelines to prevent dog bites:
1) Never assume that a dog will not bite. Even seemingly pleasant dogs will sometimes lash out. It is best to only pet a dog when the owner is present. It is also important to ask the owner’s permission before trying to touch or pet a dog. The owner can warn you about a dog’s bad temperament or tendency to bite.

2) Do not make sudden moves around a dog. Once the owner is present and has given permission to touch or pet the dog, always approach the animal slowly. Always offer the back of your hand for the dog to sniff before attempting to make any contact.

3) Recognize bad times to pet or touch a dog. Never approach or attempt to touch a dog that is sleeping or eating. You may startle the animal into biting. Also, avoid approaching or touching a dog that has puppies. Dogs can be more prone to biting when they are disturbed while eating, sleeping, or nursing.

4) Never leave a child alone with a dog.

5) Know what behaviour can lead to biting. Avoid approaching a dog that is in a small or enclosed space. In this situation, your approach may seem threatening to the animal. Also, avoid staring into the dog’s eyes or engaging in rough play.

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Florida attorneys who have worked with clients who have suffered a dog attack know how frightening and difficult a dog bite can be. In addition to the pain experienced, most dog attacks occur suddenly and quickly, leaving little time for thinking. Experienced Florida lawyers suggest that anyone involved in a dog attack needs to remember that there are only three things that a victim should do:

1) Get help. The immediate goal should be to get the victim and everyone else away from the aggressive dog. It is also essential to seek medical help immediately. In cases where a dog attack survivor has lost consciousness or is seriously injured, it is better to wait for medical attention to arrive rather than attempt moving the victim. Even if a dog bite is small, it is imperative to get medical attention, since even small personal injuries may become infected or cause scarring. Seeking medical attention is also important for gathering evidence of what happened.

2) Secure any evidence that exists. Once the immediate danger is removed, you can help establish the facts of the case by securing evidence. Get a description of the dog, the address of where the dog lives, any name or numbers on the dog collar. Get the names and numbers of any witnesses, if possible. Be sure to keep any torn or damaged clothing worn during the attack and keep a record of the medical file from the treatment of the bite. If there are police reports, get a copy of them. If you have a camera, consider taking a picture of the scene or injuries. At the same time, remember to never put yourself in danger to secure evidence.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that each year over 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs. Over 800,000 of these dog bite injuries are serious enough to warrant medical attention. Although many Florida residents see dogs as harmless pets, most Florida attorneys see enough dog bite injuries annually to know that dog bites result in serious personal injury. Dog bites can cause serious emotional and physical damage. Many victims of dog bites need cosmetic surgery and an extensive period of rehabilitation. Most victims need to be tested for – and sometimes treated for – any diseases that a dog had at the time of a bite. Dog bites can cause infection, blood loss, loss of function of limbs, and other serious injuries. In some cases, dogs can attack, sometimes causing fatalities.

Insurers and homeowners need to be aware that more than half of all dog bites occur on the dog owner’s property, according to the CDC. About 4% of all homeowner insurance claims are liability claims. In 2005, about 15% of liability claims dollars paid under homeowner insurance policies were related to dog bites. In 2005, dog bites injuries cost $317.2 million for insurers.15,000 dog bite injury claims were paid by insurers that same year, and the cost of the average dog bite claim was $21,200.

Perhaps because of the serious nature of dog bite injuries, most states have penalties and laws meant to hold dog owners responsible for serious injuries resulting from dog bites. In most states, owners are liable if they knew their dogs tended to bite. In some states, including Florida, owners are “strictly liable.” This means that even if a dog has no prior history of biting, an owner may be held liable for the injuries that a dog inflicts.

However, Florida dog owners are protected by two exceptions. The first is known as “comparative negligence.” Basically, the victim’s percentage of fault is taken into account when determining liability. Secondly, if an owner has a “bad dog” sign, no recovery is available on specific types of dog attacks.

One difficult problem that arises with dog bites concerns children. According to the CDC, children between 5 and 9 years have the highest instance of dog bite injuries. A worrying trend concerning these injuries to minors has to do with the scope of bites. Children who are four years of age or younger are most likely to be bitten in the neck or head area, increasing the possibility of serious or even fatal injury.

Florida law has determined that children under the age of six are presumed to be incapable of comparative negligence. Dog injury victims who are six or older may be held partly at fault in dog bite cases. In these cases, a jury decides whether the child could understand and avoid the danger. In these cases, too, the parents’ role in the injury is often considered, even if the parent is not named as a defendant. If inadequate supervision of a child contributed to a dog attack, the compensation payable may be reduced.

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The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has stepped up its campaign to increase awareness about dog bites. It is estimated that dog bites lead to about 5% of all emergency department visits, with thousands of people bitten by dogs each year. According to findings published by HSUS, the elderly, children, and mail carriers are among those most at risk for dog bites, although virtually anyone can be affected.

Although some dog owners claim that their dogs are not aggressive, HSUS has found that the majority of dog bites were inflicted by dogs who were considered unlikely to bite. According to HSUS, there is not always previous indication that an animal may turn aggressive. For this reason, the Humane Society offers a number of tips for preventing dog bites:

*Do not approach strange dogs. Be especially wary of dogs that are confined.