Who Should I Contact Regarding a Dog Bite Incident?

July 16, 2019 | Dog Bites

After a dog bite incident, it can be difficult to know what you need to do to protect you and your family from further harm and preserve the details of your dog bite case. After a dog bite incident, it’s essential to hire an experienced attorney to assess your situation, determine what legal action is required, and ensure that the dog bite incident is correctly reported to the police, medical personnel, and your state’s local animal control.

What Should I Do After a Dog Bite Incident?

If you are critically injured in a dog bite incident, you need to seek immediate medical treatment from a physician and document your injuries. While photos, videos, and witness accounts are adequate evidence, a physician will file a medical report that records the most minute details of your injuries, such as exactly how the accident occurred, when it happened, where the incident took place and the outlook for your recovery. A medical report is a compelling evidence when proving that the “dangerous dog’s” owner is liable to compensate you for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other expenses caused by the incident.

In addition to getting treatment for your dog bite injuries, you need to call the police and file a dog bite report. A dog bite incident report records details from the accident and can help future victims if the same animal injures them. After reporting the accident to the police, it’s essential to inform your local Animal Control facility of the dog bite attack.

Reporting a Dog Bite Incident to Animal Control

There are some situations where it can be more difficult than others for a victim to file a report, such as when an incident involves a neighbor’s dog or the pet of a close friend or family member. But filing a dog bite report can help protect other people from being harmed by the animal. After a dog bite report is filed, an investigation is started to determine if the dog is dangerous or not. During the investigation, authorities will retrieve the animal’s health and vaccination records, speak with neighbors and other people that are regularly around the dog about the animal’s behavior, and find out if the dog has ever harmed anyone else in the past or shown signs of having a propensity to being dangerous.

If the dog is determined to be dangerous, several things could be done to ensure that the animal doesn’t harm anyone else. Depending on a state’s dog bite laws, the animal might be taken away from the dog’s owner and impounded until the owner pays a fine, or the dog might be put down depending on the severity of the victim’s injuries. In some states that follow the “one bite rule,” if the victim’s injuries from the accident were minor, the incident is reported on the dog’s record, but additional action might not be taken against the animal if it was the dog’s first report.

Talk to a Dog Bite Lawyer Today

If a dog has bitten you or someone you love, perhaps the most important person to contact regarding the dog bite incident is a lawyer. Filing a dog bite report and pursuing a claim against the dog’s owner can be nearly impossible without adequate legal knowledge, but an experienced attorney knows your state’s dog bite laws better than anyone and can make sure that the right people are contacted regarding the dog bite incident, and that your claim is supported by substantial evidence.

If you need an experienced Dog Bite Lawyer to defend your case, you need Christopher Dixon and the St. Louis Dog Bite Lawyers at the Dixon Injury Firm on your side. Our lawyers have fought for more than $35,000,000 in settlements and recoveries for personal injury victims, and are committed to doing everything they can to help victims and their family members during such a terrible time. Chris Dixon has repeatedly been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, will fight for the most compensation for your injuries, and will always have your case’s best interest’s at heart when representing your case against the dog’s negligent owner.

When you are ready to pursue a claim against the negligent owner of the dog that harmed you in a dog bite incident, don’t hesitate to call (314) 208-2808, or contact the Dixon Injury Firm today to schedule a free consultation with our Dog Bite Lawyers in St. Louis, and determine the options available to your case.