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The Minneapolis/St. Paul personal injury law offices of Howard Sussman represents people with car accident injuries.

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Types of Dog Attack

Seriously injured by an animal? Get help now!

Physical Wounds:

Dog bite injuries can cause painful lacerations, abrasions or puncture wounds, fractured bones, sprain/strain injuries, nerve damage, life-threatening infections, disability and disfigurement.

Most dog bites to the neck and face occur in children younger than 10 years, and severe brain injury and death are most common in this age group.

Treatment for a dog bite injury varies with the type of bite. Less severe wounds may be closed with tape or sutures. Extensive tissue damage may have to be cut away (debrided). In some cases, the skin can be reattached by grafting; in others, it is replaced with skin from another area of the body. Plastic/reconstructive or orthopedic surgery may be required.

Scars

Dog bite wounds that bleed will certainly result in scars. The question is whether they will be disfiguring, disabling or painful. Some people scar very badly. Small scars may fade away. While scars may be improved, they are never removed entirely.

Plastic surgeons who revise scars are reluctant to give a long-term prognosis for at least a year after the attack. In very young victims, (under 5 years of age), the skin rejuvenates making it difficult to predict what the wound will look like. A dog bite claim should not be resolved until the scars have matured to some degree.

Emotional Wounds

Fear of dogs

A dog bite victim may develop an extreme fear of dogs. Although they may be a dog lover; after the attack, that individual may no longer feel comfortable around dogs, and can no longer enjoy their companionship. This can have detrimental impact on the victim's friendships or their quality of life.

Post traumatic stress disorder

A dog bite victim may suffer from severe emotional stress (post traumatic stress disorder) for months after an attack. The victim may feel nervous, irritable, anxious or depressed. Emotional injuries require treatment by a mental health professional.

Social effects of a scar disfigurement

In our society, attractive people have more friends, are more socially active, and in general treated better than those who are disfigured. Severely scarred victims may be socially ostracized, forced to endure stares and countless painful questions. This will undoubtedly cause the dog bite victim to feel humiliated, unfairly discriminated against or that they have become a social outcast.

Steps to take if you are the victim of a dog bite

• First and foremost, identify the animal that bit you. If it is a stray and cannot be identified, you will face the possibility of having to submit to painful rabies treatment.
• Get the name and address of the dog owner, and if possible, obtain the dog's license information and the insurance information of the owner.
• Get the names, addresses and telephone number of any possible witnesses.
• Photograph your wounds, bruises and blood stained clothing.
• Seek immediate medical attention. If you suffer a facial wound, insist on treatment by a plastic surgeon in order to insure the best possible repair of the wound. Be sure to follow your doctor's directions and take all prescribed medications.

If the dog owner is insured, you may be contacted by their insurance company representative.

• Do not speak to or make an appointment with an insurance representative before consulting a personal injury attorney.
• Do not write to, or make a report for, any insurance company, dog owner, or landlord or other property owner where the incident occurred.
• Do not permit yourself to be tape-recorded.
• Do not allow the victim to be photographed.
• Do not discuss who is responsible or accept any money.
• Do not sign anything presented by any insurance company, the owner of the dog, or the landlord or other owner of the property where the attack took place.

By consulting with a personal injury attorney promptly after a dog bite incident, you can avoid being barred from seeking fair compensation for your injuries due to statutes of limitations or deadlines that prevent you from making a claim.

The dog bite statute is interpreted by Minnesota courts as an absolute, strict liability statute. Comparative fault is not an allowable defense. The statute reads as follows:

347.22 DAMAGES, OWNER LIABLE.

If a dog, without provocation, attacks or injures any person who is acting peaceably in any place where the person may lawfully be, the owner of the dog is liable in damages to the person so attacked or injured to the full amount of the injury sustained. The term "owner" includes any person harboring or keeping a dog but the owner shall be primarily liable. The term "dog" includes both male and female of the canine species.

Have you or someone you know suffered injuries from an animal attack? If so, contact Minneapolis dog bite lawyer Howard Sussman today!

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