Dog Bite Tips
Seek treatment immediately – The best thing you can do after a dog bite is to seek medical treatment immediately and follow your doctor’s orders.
Notify authorities – If you’ve been bitten, contact the police or county dog warden so the appropriate reports can be made. Also, all bites are required to be reported to the local health department. The dog must be quarantined for 10 days in order to deter- mine whether it had rabies at the time of the bite.
Don’t rush to settle your claim – Don’t settle your claim before you complete your medical treatment. A few thousand dollars may sound good until you realize it doesn’t come close to compensating you for your injuries.
Don’t underestimate the insurance adjuster – Insurance adjusters have a huge advantage over you because they settle claims every day. You need a lawyer to help deal with them.
Don’t provide a statement to the adjuster – Don’t make any statements about your case until you consult with a lawyer.
Don’t sign medical authorization forms – Don’t sign authorization forms that allow an insurance company access to your private medical records. Only sign forms completed by your lawyer.
Document everything – Start a file for all police, medical, and insurance documents related to your case.
Honesty is the best policy – Be honest about your injuries. Nothing will kill your claim faster than being caught in a lie.
Don’t hide information from your lawyer – Your lawyer needs to know the good, the bad, and the ugly about your case to properly represent you.
Don’t exaggerate your injuries – Exaggerating the extent of your injuries could come back to haunt you if the insurance company films you participating in an activity you shouldn’t be able to do.
Hire a personal injury lawyer – Insurance companies employ professionals who deal with personal injury cases every day. Shouldn’t you?