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Legal Steps To Take If You Are Bitten By A Dog

15 February 2019 by Kenneth Graham

One way to ruin a day is to get bitten by a dog. Whether this occurred at a friend's house, at the park, or simply while you were out for a walk, you need to take steps to make sure you are legally protected. Dog bites can be expensive — sometimes resulting in extensive medical bills, loss of income from missed work, and even therapy depending upon the circumstances of the bite. The following are the steps you need to take if you have suffered a dog bite.

#1: Get as much information as possible

Take down the name and contact information of the dog owner. If the owner flees the scene and you do not know them, try to get as much information as possible to identify them. This can include photographs of the dog, a license plate number, and the information of any witnesses to the dog attack. Without the owner, you can not collect the legal damages you are owed. Worse, you may have to undergo more expensive and painful treatment for diseases like rabies if it can't be verified that the dog is healthy and up to date on its shots.

#2: Seek medical attention

There are many reasons to seek medical help after a dog bite, with infection being no small part of these. From a legal standpoint, you need medical care to verify the extent of the injuries and to ensure you are on the proper treatment plan. The sooner you see a doctor, the better, since your case may be dependent upon having the proper paper trail. It's equally important that you follow all treatment recommendations and keep the documentation from all follow-up appointments.

#3: Take pictures

Make sure to take plenty of photographs of the injury site. It's also a good idea to take pictures of the location where the bite occurred, particularly if you need to prove that you were not trespassing on private property. For example, you may be considered responsible if you were cutting across someone's yard and the dog attacked. On the other hand, if you can show you were on a public sidewalk and the dog jumped the fence to bite you, you won't be considered responsible.

#4: File a report

Depending on the circumstances and local regulations, you will need to file a police report or a report with the local animal control office. This is in part to document the incident in case there is a pattern with a particular dog attacking people. This is also an important part of building that paper trail for your court case.

For more help, contact a dog bite attorney in your area.

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