Personal Injury Lawyers: Your Savior When It Comes To Dog Bites

The first thing that usually comes to mind when one thinks of a personal injury lawyer is a lawyer who assists with a car accident claim. Personal injury lawyers also aid clients who have been bitten by a dog that is not their own pet. Dog bites can lead to hundreds or thousands of dollars in medical fees, and a personal injury attorney can help you get the money you need to pay your medical bills, as well as any lost wages from having to miss work while you heal:

Dog Bites By the Numbers

Every day in the United States, about 1,000 people seek medical attention because of a dog bite, according to DogsBite.org, a website dedicated to reducing the number of dog bites, as well as educating the public about how to prevent bites. While some of these bites are the result of a family pet biting someone in the household, many dog bites occur from strange dogs who attack out of fear or aggression.

The Cost of a Dog Bite

If you have to be hospitalized because of a dog bite, you can expect to shell out an average of $18,200, DogsBite.org reports. If you have health insurance, much of this cost can be taken care of because of your premium payments, but if you don't have health insurance, it's a large sum of money.

A personal injury lawyer will help you get the funds from the person who owned the dog that bit you. For example, if the dog bit you on the property of his master, the dog owner's homeowner's insurance will likely pay out your claim, and a personal injury lawyer will help you accomplish that task.

What You Need to Do

The first thing you need to do after being attacked is to identify the dog that bit you. Take a picture with your phone, if possible, so you have evidence of what the dog looked like, including any distinguishing marks. Also, take note of the address where the bite took place because that can help investigators track down the owner of the dog.

Once you've been medically treated for your wounds, hire a reputable personal injury lawyer to help you with the next steps. In addition to helping get the money to pay your medical bills, a personal injury lawyer can help you get a payout for lost wages. A personal injury lawyer will also help you file a lawsuit if the dog owner doesn't cooperate in the process.