There are more than 60 million pet dogs in the United States. Each year, more than 800,000 people, half of them children, seek medical attention for dog bites and about a dozen die from the attack, most of them children.
Teaching children basic dog safety rules is one way to protect them from being injured. Some of these rules include: never approach a strange dog; do not pull on a dog’s ears or fur; remain motionless if you are approached by a stray dog, do not run away screaming; if a dog knocks you over, curl up into a ball and lie still. For more safety tips, go tohttp://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/duip/biteprevention.htm
When you or someone you love is bitten by a dog, finding out who the owner is and getting prompt medical attention are of paramount importance. If you know who the owner is, you should be able to find out whether the dog has been vaccinated, which can make treatment of your injury much easier for your doctor.
If you own a dog, you should carefully check your homeowners’ insurance policy. Many insurance carriers now exclude coverage for injuries caused by certain breeds of dogs. You need to know if your dog falls within such an exclusion. If it does and someone is injured, you may find that you are without insurance coverage to defend you or to compensate the victim for his or her personal injuries.
We would be happy to take a look at your homeowner’s insurance policy for you, to determine what dog bite exclusions it may contain. Just give us a call. If you or someone you love is injured by a dog bite, please give us a call. We would be happy to help you as we have helped many others in the past.