Accidents tend to happen all the time, but people might rule out a dog bite as an accident that could have legal repercussions for the dog’s owner. A dog bite can lead to serious injuries and the victim has the possibility of pursuing a personal injury settlement. In these cases, a jury might be able to find if the dog owner is liable and, if so, how much the victim should be awarded for his or her injuries.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has said that there are more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs in a year and there are more than 800,000 people in the United States that receive some kind of medical treatment for this kind of injury per year. Dog bites can be dangerous if they go untreated.
When the victim of a dog bite is trying to recover damages, the dog owner will have to pay for all the medical expenses undergone due to the injury, for example: pain and suffering, medical bills, unpaid salary, property damages, and if the owner’s behavior exceeded the duty of care, punitive damages.
How to prevent dog bites:
Dogs bite for many kinds of reasons, usually they do it because they are reacting to something that alters, scares or stresses them out. Dogs also bite because they may be sick or simply because they want to be left alone. Dog owners can prevent dog bites by having their dog socialize with people and other animals. By doing so, dog owners ease their pets and help them be more comfortable around pets and people. Dog owners should also be responsible and have their pets trained or have them leashed when outside.
As for people who want to avoid dog bites, it is important to know when it is right to get close to a dog and when not to. When a dog is on its own, when it’s sleeping, eating, playing, barking, growling, with her puppies, then it is best to keep away from the dog. By taking such measures, we can reduce the risk of any kind of potential injury down the road.