It is important to know what to do after a dog bite incident in order to ensure your health and safety, as well as your legal rights.
What You Should Do
- Protect your health and safety. The first thing you should do after any injury is take steps to protect your health and safety. This means you should make sure the dog is properly restrained and will not be able to hurt you or anyone else. Next, you should assess the extent of your injuries. Disinfect your wounds to prevent infection and if you need emergency medical attention call an ambulance as soon as possible.
- Report the incident. You should get in touch with animal control or the police department in order to have the incident on record and to ensure that the dog does not pose a danger to the public.
- Gather evidence. You should write down the owner’s information including name, address, and phone number. Also, get information about the dog such as the name and license/tag number. Next, take down contact information of any witnesses but do not talk to them extensively about the incident. Additionally, you should take pictures of the dog, the area where the bite occurred, and your injuries. Save the clothes you were wearing but do not wash them because they may be valuable evidence. Finally, keep track of your medical bills, property damage, and any other expenses associated with the dog bite.
- Talk to a personal injury lawyer. You should talk to a lawyer as soon as possible because he or she will be able to give you important personal and legal advice regarding your injuries. A lawyer will protect your legal rights and begin working towards the recovery you deserve.
What You Should NOT do
- Do NOT apologize or admit you were at fault. Anything you say about the dog bite incident may affect your legal rights. Never say, “I’m sorry,” “I may have provoked the dog,” or “it was probably my fault.” Dog owners and insurance companies will use statement like these to avoid paying you the money you deserve.
- Do NOT discuss the incident without a lawyer. Do not talk with the dog owner or any witnesses extensively about the incident. You need to talk to a lawyer first in order to organize the events of the incident. Your lawyer can then talk to the dog owner or witnesses in order to gather evidence. Most importantly, do not talk to insurance representatives of the dog owner. Insurance companies perform investigations in an effort to lower the amount of money they have to pay. Your lawyer will communicate with the insurance company and protect your rights.
- Do NOT sign any forms or accept any payment without talking to a lawyer. The dog owner or insurance company may try to avoid paying you the full compensation you deserve for your injuries by asking you to sign a form or accept a check. You need to talk to a lawyer who has experience in this area because he or she be able to accurately assess the costs of your medical bills, pain and suffering, as well as the ongoing and future losses you will suffer.
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Our dog bite lawyers have successfully handled numerous dog bite cases and there are no legal fees until you receive a dog bite settlement or award for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other losses. Our law firm also works with some of the more experienced dog bite attorneys in your area.
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