Being bitten by a dog is a shattering experience. If you’re a lifelong dog lover it can completely shift your perspective on man’s best friend, while people who’ve always been scared of dogs – or who’ve demonstrated healthy respect – will find their reticence and fear entirely justified. If the bite is severe, the attack can be more than emotionally traumatic. Dog bites can be severe injuries that lead to disfigurement, disability, and even death.
Pennsylvania has laws meant to prevent dog bites from occurring, including both mandates for owners to control their animals and punishment for those who don’t. If you’ve been bitten by a dog and it has resulted in a serious injury, there are several steps that you need to take. Pursuing legal action not only provides you with the compensation that you deserve and need, but also helps to protect others from being injured in the future.
The first thing that any dog bite victim needs to do is to find out who the dog is and who owns it. This is the basic information from which your claim will arise. Not only will it help your attorney know where to direct a claim, but will also enable you to find out whether the dog has received its necessary vaccinations and whether the dog has attacked anybody else in the past.
The next step is to ensure that you get the proper medical care and retain all records of treatments that you’ve received. Dog bites may not seem serious at first, but even a bite that doesn’t bleed may lead to nerve damage, and a bite that pierces the skin is extremely vulnerable to infection.
After you’ve received treatment, reach out to your local animal control office to file a report. It is important that you document the attack in as much detail as possible. This will help you with your claim, and even if you don’t end up pursuing litigation it will ensure that future victims are aware of the animal’s history.
It can be hard to pursue a legal case against a dog, especially if you know the owner or if you are a dog lover. The best way to ease the emotion and ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve is to reach out for professional help. Our experienced attorneys will guide you through all of the steps you need to take to ensure that you get justice.
