Useful Pieces Of Advice To Understand How To File A Dog Bite Lawsuit

Dogs are known as a man’s best friend for a few reasons. They are incredibly loyal, loving, and also protective of their owners. Sometimes, this need to protect goes too far and the dog may bite another person. A light nip from a small dog might barely be noticed but if a big dog clenches down, and doesn’t let go, you could have a nasty injury. If you are unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a bad bite you might be wondering what your legal standing is. This article aims to explain how you would go about filing a dog bite lawsuit.

Take Pictures Of Your Wound

The first thing you’ll need to do if you are bitten by a dog is to seek medical attention. Dogs can carry various diseases, so you will need to get any cuts looked at by a professional. However, before you get it all bandaged up you should make sure that you have some clear photos of your injury in the hours after it happened. As mentioned on https://theclarklawoffice.com/, these photos will serve as primary evidence for your case, should it go to trial. If possible, take a video of the whole area to give a sense of what it really looks like. You need to be able to show the full extent of the injury you have sustained from this dog bite, so that appropriate compensation can be awarded.

Report The Incident Immediately

If the bite doesn’t seem too serious, the owner of the dog might try and come up with a verbal arrangement with you. A ‘promise’ to cover any medical expenses might seem like a generous offer, but you only have their word to go on and they might just leave you high and dry. Most dog owners will also, most likely, try and get you to not report the incident to the police, as this has the potential for them to have their dog taken into custody. Although it may seem harsh, and as much as you might trust them, you must report all dog bites to the police straight away. Firstly, you have no way of knowing that this dog hasn’t already bitten other people before, so there is a duty to protect other people from this potentially dangerous dog. Secondly, if you delay reporting a dog bite to the police it will be very difficult to prove that the injury sustained came from that dog. If the case ends up going to court then you will need to have reported the bite straight away if you want to have any chance of winning.

Can I Claim Compensation?

The most common reason someone would want to file a dog bite lawsuit is to cover any medical expenses incurred from the injury. Luckily, this is the primary form of payout a claimant may get. It is also possible to receive money for psychological damage as well, although this is significantly harder to prove. If you have been traumatized by the experience, make sure to explain the extent of your suffering to your lawyer and they will do their best to get you what you are owed.

Be Prepared For Tears

Asides from the monetary implications that filing a dog bite lawsuit has on the dog owner, there is also the possibility that the case will lead to the dog having to be put down. This would be very distressing for the dog owner and they will make it very clear to you how upset they are by it. Although this can be tough to deal with, you mustn’t feel like any of this is your fault. If you have suffered an injury from a dog bite, you have to go through the process properly, and you are owed compensation. Nobody wants to see a dog put to sleep, but if it does come to that, it is completely out of your hands

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Filing any kind of lawsuit is stressful and time-consuming. If you’ve been physically or emotionally injured by a dog, going through the legal process might seem daunting. It is important that you think about the implications of going to trial, but also that you think about what could happen if you don’t. You might have to foot a large medical bill if you don’t file for compensation. You might have allowed a dangerous dog to be able to roam outside without a leash. Make sure you do the right thing and file a dog bite injury lawsuit in the best way you can.