Dog Bites

The Most Common Dog Bite Injuries

Almost all dog bites are causes of serious discomfort and more times than not, are the grounds for a lengthy recovery time and costly medical bills.

The following is a list of some of the more serious injuries that are caused by dog bites:

• Bone fractures – Dog bites can cause bone fractures that affect areas like the arms, hands, feet, or legs. In more serious cases, victims may suffer from fractured skulls and vertebrae.
• Eye injuries – Can be especially severe and will require medical treatment and attention. A specialist will likely help in preventing vision loss. With dog bites too and around the eyes, they are liable to cause eye hemorrhaging, corneal abrasions, orbital fractures, and much more.
• Facial scarring – When serious enough, expensive reconstruction surgeries may be required and aren’t always covered by insurance plans. Facial scarring has been known as the basis for emotional trauma too.
• Infections – Because dogs’ mouths are full of bacteria, there are bound to be some bacteria that can be harmful to a person. Dog bites that break the skin allow for bacteria to enter your body and lead to major health issues. Infected bites, if left untreated can be fatal.
• Lacerations – When attacked by a dog, large tears in the skin are a frequent occurrence. This happens from either the bite or if the victim falls down.
• Nerve damage – Those who are afflicted with nerve damage will have symptoms that last long after other injuries may have already healed. The symptoms of nerve damage are severe pain, loss of sensation, and loss of function.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder – Bites no doubt can cause mental trauma for a victim in addition to physical injuries. Those who have been attacked by a dog are left to deal with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This isn’t to say that these emotional conditions aren’t as debilitating as physical ones because sometimes they can be more damaging.

What to Do Following a Dog Bite

Treat the Wound

As is the case in any dog bite injury accident, seeking medical attention is the first priority. First, make sure to get to a safe place and wash the wounds with soap and water. Use antibiotic cream and cover with a bandage if it is a minor wound. For a deep wound, apply pressure with a sanitary dry cloth and go to the emergency room. If you feel faint or woozy, call 911 for an ambulance.

Visit a Doctor

Be sure to visit to your doctor to assess the injury. Not only will you have a record of your injury (which will be helpful if you pursue a claim), but your injury needs to be checked because dogs’ mouths contain a ton of bacteria. Even a small bite can lead to serious infection or disease. If left untreated, it could be fatal.

Contact the Authorities: Police and Animal Control

Get in touch with the police after getting your injuries attended to. It may be possible that the animal has a history of aggression and the police may already be investigating the owner for negligence. Even if this is the animal’s first attack, the police must be notified to file a report to protect potential future victims.

Additionally, the police may find that the owner has not followed certain animal laws that led to the dog bite and deem it necessary to prosecute the owner. Finally, animal control should be notified to quarantine the animal if necessary. Your local animal control agency may also determine it appropriate to conduct their own investigation as well.

Reach Out to a Philadelphia Dog Bite Attorney

If you believe your injuries were due to the fault of a negligent dog owner, contact Kwartler Manus, LLC. You deserve compensation, especially if you have been emotionally affected by the incident, have severe injuries that require medical treatment (ongoing or not), or if you have missed work due to needing time to heal from the dog bite!

Our personal injury firm offers a free initial consultation and we can determine if you have a case. Our skilled Philadelphia dog bite lawyers are backed by decades of experience and you can be assured that your case is in good hands — in fact, we have recovered millions for our clients. Reach out to our firm today.

PA Dog Bite Laws

Pennsylvania a “strict liability” state, meaning that dog owners can be held liable for any injuries their dogs cause even if the dog has no history of aggression.

Generally, dog owners in Pennsylvania only have two defenses to dog bite claims:

1. The dog was provoked
2. The injured party was trespassing.

A dog is considered a “dangerous dog” in Pennsylvania if:

• The dog has injured a person without provocation
• The dog has killed or injured a domestic animal without provocation off the owner’s property
• The dog has attacked a human without provocation
• The dog was used to commit a crime

Working to Build a Strong Case

Time is of the essence when contacting a Philadelphia dog bite attorney at Kwartler Manus, LLC. If you wait too long after the attack, we may no longer be able to file a claim. In Pennsylvania, all personal injury cases, including dog bite claims, must be filed within two years of the date of the injury. It will be helpful to your case to document everything that you can.

Take pictures of the scene and the wounds, and write down everything you remember that happened. Collecting the contact information of any witnesses can also be extremely helpful. The dog’s history of aggression may come into play as well, though it is not always a necessary factor in procuring compensation.

To determine liability, our dog bite attorneys may need to prove:

• You had a lawful right to be on the premise
• The attack was not provoked
• The severity of the injury
• The defendant is truly the dog’s owner