Dog bites often result in serious injuries for those involved. Unfortunately, even though dogs are arguably the most popular pet in the United States, their jaws are very powerful, and they sometimes bite without warning. If you or somebody you love has been bitten and injured by a dog in California, there are various steps you will need to take to ensure you receive compensation. You also should report the incident to the appropriate authorities. Here, who want to discuss how you can go about reporting a dog bite incident.
Why You Need To Report a Dog Bite
There are generally two trains of thought when it comes to whether or not a person feels the need to report a dog bite incident. The first situation occurs when the dog bite victim does not know the dog’s owner. In these cases, most injury victims are willing to report the incident to animal control or law enforcement. However, people are reluctant to report bite injuries to animal control or police if the dog’s owner is a friend or family member.
It is important to understand why filing a dog bite report needs to happen, regardless of the injury victim’s relationship with the dog’s owner.
Reporting a dog bite incident not only helps the injury victim, but it can help others as well. After an injury victim has received the medical care that they need, the incident should be reported to a local animal control officer (if the dog bite incident is severe, 911 should be called so the police can come to the scene). You can find the local animal control number by conducting a simple Google search. Just type in your location and then the words “animal control.”
If the dog can be identified, which is usually easily done if the dog’s owner was present at the time the bite occurred, then veterinary records will be able to tell if the dog is up to date on their rabies shots. If the shots are not current, or if the dog was a stray, it may be necessary for the injury victim to receive a rabies shot themselves.
Properly reporting a dog bite incident can also help the injury victim recover the compensation they need. Even a relatively minor dog bite can lead to significant medical bills. Severe injuries caused by a dog bite often result in medical bills reaching into the tens of thousands of dollars. Having an official dog bite incident report will help when it comes to securing compensation from insurance carriers.
Finally, reporting a dog bite incident could help prevent others from being bitten by the same dog in the future. Animal control authorities may need to have a hearing to determine whether or not the dog should be classified as dangerous. If this is the case, there are other steps that will be taken that the dog’s owner will have to comply with. These steps could help improve safety for everybody.
Other Steps To Take Following a Dog Bite
It goes without saying that it is crucial for any dog bite injury victim to seek medical care as soon as possible. Even dog bite injuries that seem relatively minor could end up resulting in a severe infection that leads to major complications. Severe injuries must be treated promptly, particularly to limit the amount of scarring and disfigurement. In some cases, dog bite victims may even need corrective surgery to restore mobility or appearance to a certain area of their body.
Dog bite victims should also contact a skilled Irvine dog bite lawyer who can help them with their case. Dog bite injury victims often do not have the resources necessary to negotiate with aggressive insurance carriers. However, a California dog bite injury attorney can use their resources to investigate every aspect of the claim and negotiate with all parties involved.