How much is your dog bite injury claim worth

How Much Is Your Dog Bite Injury Claim Worth

Every year thousands of persons are injured as a result of a dog bite or a dog attack. Many a time the first thing that runs through the victims head is will I need a painful shot, did the dog have rabies ? The victim seeks medical treatment for the dog attacked injuries and then is presented with a bill. Medical treatment is very expensive in some instances even minor treatment may cost more than what the person wage earner makes in a week. Once confronted with the bill for treating the dog bite injury the victim may then consider whether it is worth hiring a lawyer. Sometimes the victim decides to meet with the dog owner and present the medical bill for reimbursement, unfortunately, owners of animals that cause injury are generally irresponsible and likely to invite the victim to file a lawsuit.The injury victim disappointed often chooses to forego any further action. When the dog attack is more serious the medical expenses are substantial often reaching in the tens of thousands. When the claimant has health insurance, the claimant may decide that it is best to just be thankful the dog attack was not worse. If the claimant has not health insurance then the claimant may decide to call a lawyer specializing in dog bite claims or a personal injury attorney specializing in injury claims.

Often the first thing the claimant wants to know is what the case is worth. The response from a personal injury lawyer will vary. Some attorneys will provide a ball park range, some will choose to state that no amount is certain until evaluating the case, and some will make wild exaggerations to convince the claimant to file a dog bite claim with that particular law firm. In reality it is not possible to determine what the value of a dog bite injury is. After evaluating the case and reviewing the medical records, it is possible to get a ball park figure for injury resulting from the dog attack.

Injury resulting from a dog bite or a dog attack is evaluated differently than your run of the mill car accident injury claim. Generally personal injury claims pertaining to car, truck, and motorcycle accidents are evaluated through a computer system. The computer software is a supposed to mimic an adjuster with great knowledge and experience. Data from jury verdicts is entered into this system along with other factors such as the particular county and the property damage. Dog bite claims are treated differently and are generally do not go through computer software. A real live person evaluates the claim and makes a determination as the severity of the injuries and the value of the claim. Humans do a much better job they are more compassionate and much better able to evaluate the person that suffered from the dog attack injuries.

The factors used in evaluating the value of the case in a dog attack injury claims are many. These factors can include the severity of the injury itself, the future treatment that may be needed, the loss of earnings resulting from the injuries, the age of the claimant, the gender of the claimant, the stability of the claimant, the profession of the claimant, and the location of the injuries themselves. The severity of the injury can very from minor puncture wounds to severe damage and life long scarring. Some injuries require one doctor visit, other injuries may require extensive hospitalization and some require several surgeries. Earnings claims resulting from the dog attack are simply a computation of loss of earnings based on the claimants inability to work as a result of the injuries and as supported by the medical provider. It is not enough that the claimant make a claim of inability to do work, it has to be supported by the medical provider. The nature of the work, the location and severity of the injury and the medical provider’s opinion will determine if the dog attack injury prevented the claimant from working. The age of the claimant is a factor in that people are generally much more sympathetic to children and the elderly that are not in a position to defend themselves from a dog attack.

The gender of the claimant makes a substantial difference when there are scars or physical disfigurement, especially when the scars are to the face. Women are treated differently from men and in general are treated as suffering greater injury from scars resulting from a dog attack. The stability and profession of the claimant are factors used in determining the value of the claim, because there is a correlation between the way we perceive people and the profession of the person. A doctor is treated much more different from a car salesman and a drifter is likewise treated very differently from the local florist that everyone knows. These are some of many factors that are used in evaluating an injury claim resulting from a dog attack. A dog bite that is nothing more than a puncture wound is not likely to result in a $50,000 jury verdict. A dog attack resulting in the loss of a hand is not likely to result in a $1,000.

When you hire us, we carefully evaluate the case inform you of our opinion of the value of the case and first attempt to resolve informally before filing a lawsuit.