Dog bites can be dangerous, and you should never take your time in seeking treatment should you ever get bitten. Fortunately, in the USA the law protects you from such unfortunate occurrences. Whenever people receive awful dog bites, they experience some of the following disadvantages:
- They incur medical bills from seeking treatment for the bite.
- Their property like clothes, sun and reading glasses, and jewelry could get damaged in the process.
- They lose work time and productivity when recuperating and that leads to decreased wages and compromised business.
- Dog bite injuries render victims dependent on second-party support. Such support is costly to hire, and the expense is unfairly incurred.
- Serious injuries could lead to lifelong disability and disfigurement.
- Emotional distress and the pangs of pain drive victims into a lot of undue and unanticipated suffering.
- Any other costs that victims may incur from their injuries.
All the above disadvantages are legally referred to as damages and you should definitely be amply compensated for all the damages that you endure. So, how do you really look out for yourself and demand to be compensated? What should you do the instance that you receive the dog bite?
You should know that you are only entitled to compensation from the dog’s owner if you did not cause the dog to bite you. Insurance firms and law courts do not favor people who get bitten while trespassing. You will also be blamed for the dog bite if there is evidence proving that the dog acted in self-defense because you provoked it. You are also solely to blame if the dog bit you while defending its owners from your offensive. Therefore, even if you would still like to be assisted in managing the resultant losses, you can contact personal injury lawyers New York. You must carefully consult with an attorney to advise and direct your legal action.
When You Are Not at Fault
In most animal bites, the owner of the dog that bit you is most likely going to contact you with an offer. Even when they do not, their insurance companies take the responsibility to negotiate for a settlement. Most victims, even though heartened by the prospect of reimbursement and compensation, often feel insulted when the dog owners do not make contact to apologize. Therefore, apart from the normal civil proceedings that ensue, victims may instruct their lawyers to institute legal pleas requesting punitive damages and criminal negligence prosecution.
You must take down all the details that you need to reach the owner of the dog that bit you. It is likely that at the moment of occurrence, you got too upset to get that much information. Such emotive reactions could compromise your case if you do not get any third party witnesses to provide the information. After that, you must go for rabies screening, treatment, and possible immunization.
When the at-fault parties or their insurance companies reach out, give them time to explain their position on the issue. Most functional legal systems encourage out of court settlements for civil disagreements, and it would always improve your standing in a court case to exemplify your utmost goodwill during the out-of-court settlement negotiations. Remember that your personal injury attorney will advise you for which damages to sue. You must never underestimate your total damages, and neither should you undermine your interests. If you have to, leave your attorney to negotiate for you if the matter is too emotive for you.
The benefits of settling out of court include:
- The process is always faster.
- No judicial fees are needed other than the fees you would owe your attorney.
- Your conflict is settled privately and your issues remain confidential.
- Your attorney fees will be much lower than the amount they would take from your awarded compensation amount.
- You are guaranteed to get something; court battles could leave you high and dry.
Though we never anticipate a dog bite to happen, it can when it is least expected. Make informed decisions about the medical care and legal help you need and try to lessen the burden.
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Contributing Author Bio
Ashley Andrews
Ashley Andrews is an entrepreneur and blogger. She now lives in San Diego, CA and is happily self employed. She enjoys writing about anything that catches her interest, especially tech and entrepreneurship.
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