Personal injury cases can encompass a variety of injuries and accidents. One injury that some people may not think about very often is a dog bite. If you suffered a dog bite by a pet dog, you will likely need medical care. That medical care can turn costly, so you might opt to seek compensation for the bite.
Around 4.5 million Americans are bitten by a dog each year. Children ages 5 to 9 are the victims in around half of those cases. In all dog bite cases, there is a possibility of infection. You must be vigilant about watching for signs of an infection. These include pus coming from the wound, redness in the area, swelling around the bite and warmth on the bite wound. All of those are signs that antibiotics are necessary.
Other possible injuries that can occur include damage to the bone, tendons, muscles and nerves in the area. All of these possibilities are taken into consideration when your medical team is caring for the dog bite.
When you are bitten by a dog, another consideration is whether the dog is up-to-date on the rabies vaccination. If the dog isn’t up-to-date on that vaccination, special care might be needed. For this reason, you should get owner information and a description of the dog if you are bitten.
If you are one of the one out of five dog bite victims who needs medical care because of the bite, you might decide to seek compensation. Understanding the concepts related to dog bite cases and the process for seeking compensation in Florida might help you to decide how you will proceed with your case.
Source: WebMD, “Dog Bites,” accessed Dec. 17, 2015
