 Personal injury cases come in all shapes and sizes, various shades and hues and no two cases exactly the same. This is particularly true when it comes to compensation cases that arise following a canine bite as no two dogs are the same and neither are the events that surround each incident. That said it is safe to say that personal injury lawyers will battle on your behalf to ensure you are duly compensated for any wrongdoing that has befallen you at the points of a k-9’s razor sharps.
Man’s best friend?
Are our furry faced friends man’s best friend or his worst enemy, we have all heard of tragic accidents that have occurred when the family dog has attacked what is considered to be a family member, it is particularly upsetting when that just so happens to be a young child. Various statistics have brought to light that over dog attacks have been directly linked to over 300 dog bite related deaths in the time spanning from 1979 and 1996. As mentioned the majority of these deaths were children which makes the potential for upset potentially that much more. Interestingly someone in the United Stated of America receives some form of medical attention every fourty seconds because of the various incidents involving dog bites all over the country.
Medical treatment records reveal that approximately 800,000 people in America encounter dog bites on an annual basis and that once again the majority of these are children. The various medical departments up and down the nation spend some $165 million on treating dog bites each and every year and no doubt if it is being treated on a private basis, subsequent premiums will be negatively affected. Even more interesting is the fact that upwards of seventy per cent of dog bites that occur happen within the boundaries of the owner/occupier’s property.
General scenario
In the majority of cases the dog owner is required to pay the damages as on the one hand it is their property and thus they are liable for its ‘discretions’ while on the other point it is a member of their family in which place they are liable for neglecting to teach their dog appropriate etiquette. The scars associated with dog bites can be life long and in the cases of children can be very prominent as bites tend to be around the head and face.
Scarring can not only cause physical problems but psychological especially in the instances of children as psychological ripples and waves may take a while to manifest themselves, interweaving with their personality, blurring the lines of effect and acquired personality traits. Perhaps it is this blurring of the definitive ‘this accident caused this injury and we know this because...’ that makes compensation claim process for such a personal injury so difficult.
Psychological counselling may be needed and if it happens at a young age you are potentially looking at a life full of therapy sessions and counselling. If the owner of the dog is liable these costs should fall on their door mat. Updated on 15/11/2008
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