Dog Bites and Animal Attacks: Your Rights and Legal Recourse
Dog bites and animal attacks can be fatal. Injury cases linked to animal attacks are pretty common, and it is important to seek legal help in case of serious injuries. If you are a victim of an animal attack in Austin, a personal injury lawyer in Austin can guide you through legal resources to help you get compensation for your injuries.
Steps to Follow After Getting Attacked by An Animal
Here are some critical steps that you can follow after getting attacked by an animal:
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Get the Required Medical Attention
Seeking medical attention should be your top priority after receiving an animal attack. Don’t just take the wound as a tiny scratch, and not a big deal. Oftentimes, animal bites can lead to extreme infections, respiratory diseases, and cardiac diseases. The key is to seek medical help early on to save yourself from further serious damage.
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Report the Attack to the Concerned Authorities
Don’t forget to report the law to concerned authorities like law enforcement and animal control authorities. These authorities have the resources to launch an investigation regarding the incident. They can also examine the condition of the animal to identify if the animal poses a threat to public safety.
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Save the Evidence
Remember that if you are thinking of filing a claim, you need to secure some solid and detailed evidence. The best way to collect evidence is to document evidence early on. It becomes hard to collect authentic evidence with time.
Capture photos of your wounds, the animal, and the scene of the incident. Make sure the pictures are all clear and easy to comprehend. Also, collect the contact information of any witnesses and record their statements if they are comfortable with that.
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Connect With An Attorney
Consulting with an attorney should be your next step. A personal injury attorney who is experienced in dealing with animal attack cases would be a suitable option. He will analyze the case and see if your claim is valid.
Your lawyer can deal with the animal’s owner and negotiate with them for the deserving compensation. He will also deal with the insurance companies on your behalf.
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Pursue Compensation
It all comes down to a strong evidence-based case. If you have a strong case, you can easily pursue compensation for medical recovery, lost wages, and emotional distress. You don’t have to worry about the legal process; your attorney will take care of it and help you get the deserved compensation for all of your loss.
Understanding Common Dog Bites and Other Animal Injuries
Animal attacks can be extremely dangerous and fatal. A dog bite can lead to severe medical conditions like deep cuts, fractured bones, and wounds. There can be extremely traumatizing conditions if the incident involves a big wild animal.
A victim can fall into deep mental distress after getting attacked by a wild animal. In addition to these above-mentioned conditions, a victim can experience several other medical issues. Following are the common dog bites or animal attack injuries:
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Fractured or Broken Bones
Dog bites can cause serious fractures and broken bones. There is a high chance of bone fractures If a victim is bitten on the arm or leg. A victim can also receive serious broken bone injuries if the animal causes them to hit some sharp or solid object by falling down.
Mostly, accidents occur when an animal knocks over a person by jumping on them and causing them to fall on something dangerous or hit the ground or a wall.
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Lacerations
Treating animal attack injuries is not easy. Animal attack injuries and wounds usually include jagged cuts that are difficult to manage. Several stitches are required in most of the cases. But most injuries, damages, and cuts from dog bites are uniform and clean, which is why it is easier to treat them.
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Puncture Wounds
A puncture wound is the most common dog bite injury and the hardest to treat. Puncture wounds are usually small in size, but they bleed heavily. It is hard to treat this kind of wound because of its nature.
Animal attack wounds are complex since they occur in wild or outdoor areas, making it hard to provide prompt medical attention to the victim. This leads to further infectious wounds that become hard to manage with time.
Legal Aspects Linked to Dog Bites
Dog bites can pose serious medical threats as they can easily lead to serious infections. Dog bite injuries are very much underreported as people think it is normal for dogs to bite and that there is nothing dangerous. They are misjudged as less severe.
And the medical expenses of dog bite treatment can be hefty. It is not allowed to have a pet animal or dog that has a negative record and is labeled dangerous for the public by concerned authorities like animal control or law enforcement agencies.
The owner of the dog is liable to pay for the compensation if his dog caused damages to someone’s property.
