It’s back-to-school time for your child or children, but it’s dog bite season for our Pittsburgh trial lawyers. You see, summer is when families go away on vacation (away from the neighbor’s dog). Granted, there are plenty of attacks in the spring and summer also, such as:
But as temperatures cool, and children reunite with classmates, your kid will spend more time inside with children (and dogs) not seen all summer. Some of the dogs will be new and potentially vicious. Even if not previously aggressive, any dog can become dangerous unless its boundaries are respected. Inside a home, it doesn’t take much for a dog to attack from feeling cornered.
What To Do Right After Your Child is Bitten by a Dog
Our Pittsburgh attorneys have written about how to prevent a dog bite. Here, we’ll discuss what to do immediately following the attack on a child or children.
First, tend to the child’s injuries. Call 911 for emergency medical treatment and follow instructions. Make sure that any life threatening injury is addressed first, such as blood loss from an open wound. Then, apart from any laceration or puncture, determine whether any flesh has been removed from the child. Unfortunately, with a serious attack, now is the time to consider whether any body part (such as a digit) needs to be located and reattached. Often, this is neglected, since 911’s job is to focus entirely on life-sustaining functions only, such as:
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- heart and lung function,
- serious bleeding, or
- whether the child is conscious and alert to the surroundings. A lack of brain function can signal a serious concussion — from a dog dragging the child to the ground, which is common, sadly.
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Also, post-attack, when waiting for police, make sure the offending dog is truly under control. We’ve handled cases where the attacking dog managed to re-attack, even after being physically restrained by hand or placed inside a separate room. An excited dog will find a way to resume the attack, if possible.
What Not To Do (Right After Your Child is Bitten by a Canine)
1. Don’t Lose Your Mind
This is easier said than done. As a parent, you’ll want to immediately fight to make the dog owner pay for the injuries to your child. But keep in mind, there is a process in place to make the canine owner accountable. So try not to say too much. Some gentle prodding of the dog’s owner can be helpful: “You own the dog, right? That person watching the dog was your [nanny / babysitter / employee] right?” How did this happen?” And of course, any information about the dog’s rabies vaccinations (or lack thereof) will be important.
Keep a clear head and let the dog owner do most of the talking. His emotions may get the best of him. For example, right after an attack, a dog owner will often try to dodge obvious liability by attempting to explain away prior bites by the same dog. Or, they’ll blame others. “I told my wife to lock that front door!”
Just listen.
Don’t try to win the argument, even if you disagree with what’s said. Plus, Animal Control may already possess a thick file on the same dog and its owner. Thus, liability might already be clear. If retained, we’ll get all prior animal control reports on the dog, so the main point is: focus on the child’s treatment.
2. Don’t Pressure Doctors to Close Wounds Right Away
Every parent wants to see her child’s wounds closed and fixed ASAP. Nobody wants their child walking around with an open wound. But keep in mind there is a risk of infection from closing a wound prematurely. The animal’s mouth may contain dangerous bacteria. Therefore, even with a course of antibiotics and the best debridement (deep cleaning) of the wound site, there’s always the risk of infection to a child from a dog bite. Sutures can lock it inside. For this reason, many health care providers — such as a doctor or nurse practitioner — will opt to let the wound drain for a period of time, first. Don’t be surprised if they refuse to immediately use sutures or “stitches” to close a child’s dog bite wound.
Trust their judgment, even though in this moment, it may be difficult to trust anyone, after your neighbor or family member allowed their dog to attack your child.
3. Don’t Rely on the Police
This one might sound like a head scratcher, but it’s true. Call 911 for medical attention for your child and for police muscle to “keep-the-peace” after an attack. But after that, it’s not the police who have jurisdiction. Rather, it’s your county’s Department of Health — specifically animal control — that will:
- verify whether the dog was up-to-date on vaccinations or immunizations;
- conduct interviews of witnesses; and
- bring charges against the owner for either allowing a dog to run “at large” (or failing to have reasonable control of the animal, or for the dog having vicious propensities
If your child goes to the emergency room (ER), the doctor is supposed to report the matter to animal control. You can follow up by calling animal control. Or, as a courtesy, one of our dog bite lawyers will call animal control for you.
4. Don’t Worry About Offending the Dog Owner When Your Child was Bit by a Dog
When a child is attacked by a dog, the animal’s owner is often a friend, family member or neighbor. As such, a parent may hesitate to bring a claim. But here are a few things to keep in mind:
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- A claim is just a letter, it’s not a lawsuit, meaning, it’s private, it’s not on any docket.
- Dog bite claims are typically covered by homeowner or renter’s insurance, which exist to provide compensation to those who deserve and need it. Your child may need corrective surgery not covered by your health insurance.
- The dog owner’s insurance rates may not even go up, from a claim. Either way, the dog owner can shop for alternate insurance.
- Our lawyers will not file a lawsuit against anyone, unless you authorize it in advance. This means, you can retain us to make an informal claim only, meaning, outside of the courts.
Contact Our Lawyers Today
Call or email our Pittsburgh dog bite attorneys today for a free consultation for any adult or child attacked by a dog anywhere in Pennsylvania.