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Injured by a Dog Bite?

National Dog Bite Statistics: (view source)

  • Every single day, approximately 1,000 U.S. citizens require emergency room care for serious dog bit injuries.
  • Each year, approximately 12,500 are hospitalized for dog bite injuries.
  • In 2019, for the first time on record, adult victims between the ages of 30-49 sustained more dog bite fatalities than child victims.
  • Pit bulls are the most common breed involving injuries.
  • Surgery is more than three times more likely to be associated with a dog bite from a pit bull than other breeds.

Florida’s Dog Bite Statistics: (view source)

  • Historically, children between the ages of one and nine years old are at the highest risk for dog bites, with boys at highest risk.
  • Children are more likely to be bitten on the head (face) or the neck.
  • Each year, an average of two Floridians die from dog bite attacks and over 600 Floridians are hospitalized due to injuries from dog bites.
  • Children (less than six years old) and (boys from 6-14) are the two groups at greatest risk of being bitten by a dog in Florida.
  • Children 15 years and older, suffered the most dog bites when the victim attempted to break up a dog fight, more frequently in the home or on the dog owner’s property, also occurring off the property.
  • Common causes of dog bites arise from protective behavior, occurring frequently both on and away from the dog owner’s property.
  • Not surprisingly, the largest metro areas tend to see the most bites, including Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, Tallahassee and Orlando.

Dog Bites Cause Injuries All Over The Body:

  • Face/head
  • Hands/Arms
  • Feet/legs
  • Trunk

Dog Bites May Cause On-Going Psychological Problems: (view source)

  • Acute Stress Disorder.
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
  • Recurrent distressing dreams of the event.
  • Depression, dreams, illusions, hallucinations, flashbacks.
  • Bites to the face are typically the most traumatizing.
  • Length of time a person is under attack, the longer the attack, the greater degree of trauma.
  • An attack by more than one dog typically causes a greater degree of trauma to the accident victim.
  • After a traumatic dog bite, a dog bite victim may no longer feel safe and may become hyper-alert for other trauma.

Certain Breeds Are Known To Be More Dangerous:

Unprovoked bites are more common with the following breeds: (view source)

  • Chows.
  • Pit bulls.
  • German shepherds.
  • Rottweilers.

What You Should Do After A Dog Bite Injury?

  • Report the bite to your local county health department, animal control agency or the police.
  • Document the incident.
  • Exchange information with the owner of the dog and all witnesses to the event, having complete names, addresses and all other contact information.
  • Seek appropriate medical care immediately, without delay.
  • Contact us for a free initial consultation, to learn more about your rights to hold the owner of the dog fully accountable for all injuries, medical bills and all other damages suffered from a dog bite.

Florida Law: The Dog Owner Is Accountable For All Damages!

Section 767.01 Dog owner’s liability for damage to persons: "Owners of dogs shall be liable for any damage done by their dogs to a person."

Section 767.04 Dog owner’s liability for damages to persons bitten: "The owner of any dog that bites any person while such person is on or in a public place, or lawfully on or in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, is liable for damages suffered by persons bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness. … ."

Typically, dog bite injuries are covered under the liability and/or medical payments coverage of the dog owner’s home insurance:

In many cases, the owner of the dog, through their homeowners insurance agreement, typically covers the damages caused by a dog bite. Thus, it is critical to document the incident, the owner of the dog, take photographs of injuries and to allow our office to investigate the dog owner’s homeowners insurance agreement, and in some cases involving catastrophic damages, to conduct an assets and income investigation of the dog owner to see if he or she has the ability to pay additional monies (personally)(out of their own pocket) towards contributing to any settlement agreement, before any release agreement is signed.

Call attorney Brad Souders at 1-800-254-5155 to schedule a FREE immediate consultation to answer all of your questions. Let us do all the work for you to hold all parties fully accountable for all injuries and losses sustained.

There are no charges for attorney’s fees or costs unless we win! We have a principal office in Tampa, representing accident victims and their families throughout the state of Florida with over 30 years of experience.

Home, Hospital, Evening, Virtual & Weekend appointments upon request. We also pride ourselves on delivering friendly, personal, prompt and professional service, with the goals of helping YOU obtain the best medical care and best financial recovery possible!