Utah Dog Bite Guide
Were you seriously injured by a dog and are wondering how you will pay for your medical bills? The Utah Dog Bite Guide was created by Swenson & Shelley Injury Attorneys to help residents obtain maximum compensation.
In the United States, so many people consider dogs as a man’s best friend. When a dog bites you, it’s likely that you won’t share that sentiment. Odds are you didn’t walk away with a little impact bruise from the dog bite. When a vicious animal attacks you, there is a lot of damage they can do and if you are a victim of this, you deserve compensation for what happened to you. We are here to guide you through every step of your dog bite case. Please call our Utah dog bite lawyer today to set up a free consultation.
How to Get Full Compensation
When you ask for compensation, you may be hesitant to bring a dog bite claim. There is a common misconception about these cases. It’s likely that you were at someone’s house that you know when you were attacked by their dog. What you should know is that you are not really going to be bringing your dog bite claim against your friend. You are bringing the claim against their insurance company.
In Utah, there is a shared fault rule that you we follow. What that means is that if you are 50% or more at fault, you will be barred from getting compensation. If you are less than 50%, your compensation will be reduced by what percent you are found to be at fault for. Our job is to make sure you get the most compensation possible.
Types of Dog Bite Injuries
As mentioned, these dog attacks can result in vicious outcomes. Your health is the most important thing after an incident. The possible types of dog bite injuries include:
- Nerve, tendon, and tissue damage
- Cuts and lacerations
- Infection
- Bruising
- Fear of dogs
It is possible that these injuries are more than physical. Fear of dogs would be considered a damage, especially in children who were attacked. It would change their life forever if they had a permanent fear of dogs. Considering there is a dog in so many peoples’ homes, that would be a huge deal.
Avoiding Insurance Adjusters
Be warned that the insurance company for the dog owner is not your friend. They have a job to do and that involves reducing the amount of compensation they owe you or eliminating your claim altogether. Very soon after the attack, the insurance adjuster will reach out to you and ask you for a statement that will be recorded. You should never give them one as to avoid getting blamed for the incident. Instead, tell them that your lawyer will take over all communication.
What to Do After You Are Bit
There are several extremely important things that you need to take into consideration after you have been bit by a dog. The top priority is your wellbeing. Do not delay getting to a doctor as there may be a chance of infection. You also run the risk of having any of your injuries get worse if you do not see a doctor in a timely manner. You may not need to get on an ambulance or go to the emergency room, but you should be planning on at least heading to an urgent care or getting in with your primary physician right away.
What is also important at the scene of the incident is to collect as much evidence as possible to ensure you have a strong case. Having the police come get record makes everything more certain, so that is a good idea to have them come and file a report. You can also do your own evidence collection. That can be photos and videos of the scene and the surrounding area. Perhaps you can take a photo of a broken gate that the dog got out of. You should also ask the owner of the dog or whoever is handling the animal if it is up to date on its vaccinations.