Were you recently bitten by your neighbor's dog? You may never have expected that the dog would come and attack you. Did you know that over 350,000 people who live in the United States end up in the emergency room as a result of a dog attack each year? Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for these kinds of attacks to take place.
Now that you were attacked, you may be suffering from a serious injury. In fact, you likely had to go to the emergency room to seek treatment for the injuries that were sustained as a result of the attack. If you do not know what to do from this point forward, there are some steps that should be taken.
Make a Report to the Police
You may think it would not be necessary to call the police after being attacked by a dog since they would not be able to put handcuffs on the dog and send it to jail. However, there are several good reasons to make a police report. The first and most important reason you should contact the police after suffering from a dog attack is to have an official documented report of the incident. You can talk to the police about the events that took place leading up to the attack. For example, you may have been innocently walking down the street when the dog appeared out of nowhere and started jumping on you and biting you. The report may come in handy if you end up going to court.
While the police officers cannot arrest the dog, they may need to put the animal in quarantine and have it evaluated to determine if it is vicious or not. If the animal is deemed even the slightest bit aggressive or dangerous, the owners may have to follow strict rules moving forward, such as keeping a muzzle on the dog's mouth whenever they decide to take it out for walks. These strict rules could potentially save other people from going through the same thing you have experienced.
Get in Touch With a Personal Injury Attorney
Making a police report may not be enough for you. If you feel like the owners need to be held responsible for the actions of their dog because they were not around or were not paying enough attention when the attack took place, you may want to file a lawsuit against them. If you are interested in taking the case to court because of the pain and suffering you have endured, it would be important for you to hire a personal injury attorney.
There are several things you would need to disclose with the attorney, including details about the attack, medical records that indicate what types of injuries you have sustained, and any pictures or X-rays you may have that provide even more proof of the injuries. The attorney may need to use medical documents, statements from witnesses, and any other useful information in the courtroom to try to prove to a judge that you have had to endure a lot and deserve some sort of compensation because of the pain and suffering. Even if the legal proceedings take a while, it is still important to seek justice for the traumatic experience you have gone through.
Being attacked by a dog is both dangerous and frightening. You may have been concerned for your life during the attack. And, in the aftermath of the attack, you may have suffered injuries that have caused you much pain and suffering. If it is clear that this person's negligence may have lead to the attack, that means they should certainly be held accountable.
Share21 June 2017
The laws governing child custody and guardianship can be confusing. As a family attorney, I have helped many clients gain legal guardianship over a foster child or a relative's child. Getting legal guardianship of a child you are caring for is important because you need to be able to make decisions about that child's education, health care and other matters. This blog will help you navigate the world of legal guardianship and show you how to take steps to get guardianship over a child whether the child's parents are cooperative or not. Legal guardianship does matter even if a child is not going to be adopted. I hope to help people find the way to get this done.
