Dogs are considered man’s best friend. However, even the mildest-mannered dog can bite and cause serious injury. When an individual is bitten by a dog, the victim may have grounds for seeking compensation from the dog’s owner. This is because dog owners have a responsibility to keep their pets from hurting others. When they fail in this duty, they can be held legally responsible for compensating the victim. According to statistics, as many as 4 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the United States.
Nearly 1 million of these victims are injured badly enough to visit an emergency room for treatment. Unfortunately, the majority of these victims are children under the age of 10. This is because many of these young people are not old enough to recognize the dangers the dog presents. Those who are bitten and injured by dogs may quickly hear from insurance adjusters who express concern. While this concern may be genuine, it is important to remember that the insurance adjuster’s loyalty is to his or her employer.
This means that the adjuster's job is to limit the payout the insurance company makes to the victim. The adjuster does not have your best interests at heart, and will push a quicker and cheaper solution to this issue. Rather than becoming a victim a second time, seek the help of a personal injury attorney. Your attorney will have your best interests at heart and will aggressively represent you when dealing with the insurance company.