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Editor: Jeffrey Harlan Penneys, Esq.
Profession: Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney

Category: Case Values

How does The Dog Bite Lawyer evaluate a dog bite claim? The following provides a general guideline for how I evaluate a dog bite claim.

Please keep in mind that each case is unique, and will be evaluated differently based on numerous factors.

In most dog-bite situations, the dog owner's homeowner's insurance policy pays for the injuries sustained in the event of a dog bite. Each year, dog bites account for nearly 1/3 of all homeowner's liability claims.

Dog owners are charged with the legal responsibility for their dog's behavior. In most dog-bite cases, the dog's owner will be required to pay all medical bills and lost wages resulting from a dog-bite/attack event. Sometimes, the dog's "keeper," or the person who was taking care of the dog at the time of the attack may be held legally responsible to the dog bite victim.

The types of damages recoverable typically include the following:

(i) Past, present and future medical expenses, which can be quite expensive, especially if the victim has permanent scarring as a result of the attack/bite.

(iii) Lost income from work

(iv) Pain & suffering.

(v) Emotional/mental injuries.

(vi) Property damage.

(vii) Disfigurement/scarring. Scars can be a serious, permanent result of a dog bite. Children are particularly susceptible to bites on or around the head and facial areas. Scars are more than just the physical injury-they can also result in emotional injuries such as psot-traumatic stress and lingering fear of dogs/animals. Scars may require additional plastic surgery which may need to be delayed until after the scar matures, which is typically about 1 year after the dog bite/attack incident. In the case of a young child, plastic surgery may have to be postponed until the child stops growing.