What to Do After a Dog Bite?

Although most dogs are delighted to present endless companionship into the people about them, even the most docile canine can snap under certain conditions.  Thus, millions of people are bitten by dogs each year.  Because dog bite injuries may have substantial health, legal, and fiscal ramifications, it is important to understand what to do following a dog bite.  Keep reading to find out more about important actions to take following these kinds of accidents.

What to Do After a Dog Bite: First Steps

Knowing what to do after a dog bite can be critical to your health and any legal action you may need to take. Important first steps following a dog bite comprise the following:

Medical Care: Particularly for puncture wounds and much more serious injuries, it is important to get medical care straight away. Some dogs are not vaccinated against rabies, and puncture wounds are prone to infection. If at all possible, take photos of your wounds until they're treated to be able to accurately record the injury done.

Exchange Information: Just like the aftermath of an auto collision, you need to exchange information with your dog's owner or caretaker so that you may easily contact them following the incident, as a way to validate the puppy's vaccination history.  This advice should include the individual's title, address, and contact info.

Witnesses: If you're bitten or your dog somebody else, make sure you find contact info for anybody who witnessed the episode.  When there's a demand for a litigation or an insurance coverage, eye witness accounts may offer a more precise image of what occurred.

Animal Control: Filing a report with the local animal control service can help to stop future dog bites, and their research into the episode might assist your case.

Following through on those first steps will ease the practice of arriving to a reasonable deal later regarding reimbursement for dog bite injuries. 

Contacting a Dog Bite Attorney

Because dog bites are such a common occurrence, there are attorneys with extensive experience handling dog bite insurance claims, settlements, and lawsuits. These lawyers are often well-versed in arriving at a precise quantity of reimbursement a dog bite victim must get.  These figures often demand detailed calculations for lost earnings and earning potential, pain and distress, and other expenditures.  They also have expertise analyzing a customer's likelihood of achievement based on their nation's dog bite laws and also the results of similar cases they have seen.

Finally, a dog bite lawyer may be instrumental in managing the other party's insurance company and negotiating a settlement.  While the insurer has lots of experience getting people to take low settlement provides, a Champaign dog bite lawyer is quite knowledgeable about the strategies employed by insurance companies and other attorneys, and understands the best arguments and signs to use to acquire a reasonable settlement.