Personal Injury Lawyer: Injured By Someone's Pet

If your neighbor's dog attacks and cause seriously bodily harm, you're entitled to file a personal injury lawsuit. A personal injury lawyer can help you through the legal process to get the compensation you need to heal your wounds.

Here are some steps you should take if you're injured by someone else's pet.

Documentation

Accidents involving pets are often not given the same law enforcement support as accidents involving people. If you can't get the police to file a formal report, you'll need to document the accident to build a personal injury case.

  • Basic Facts: Simply substantiating the relevant facts associated with your accident can be difficult. When you're injured by someone else's pet, your first step should be seeking medical attention. The longer you wait to seek medical attention, the more doubt the defendant will be able cast on your claims. When you seek medical attention, you should request copies of the doctor's notes, x-rays, and the treatments options they give you. After you've been treated, you should shoot a video that clearly shows the severity and nature of your injuries. Although it might be uncomfortable to capture footage of your injuries, they will be timestamped and representative of the trauma you sustained in the accident. Your personal injury lawyer can this wealth of information to build a stronger case.
  • Request a Report: In most municipalities, you can contact local animal control authorities to investigate an accident involving animals. Before filing your accident claim, you should have your personal injury lawyer look over the document. They can add important details and request a formal response to your claim. Once your personal injury lawyer is able to match the facts provided in the report to the information you've already gathered, your case will be ready for litigation.

Insurance

In some cases, accidents involving pets can be covered by home owner's and/or renter's insurance policies. If your accident becomes an insurance matter, your personal injury lawyer can make sure that you get the settlement you deserve.

  • Above the Limit: Insurance policies are underwritten to include maximum payouts. This figure limits the amount of money you can collect on a policy. In cases involving pet attacks, your personal injury lawyer can argue for a maximum payout and still request additional severance from the plaintiff. These types of personal injury cases seek putative damages during the criminal and civil portions of the case. Thus, if the pet's owner is prosecuted in court, your personal injury lawyer can request monetary severance for the actual damages you suffered in the accident. Find a law firm near you like Law Office of Robert Karwin today. 

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