Why You Need a Lawyer for Your Dog Bite Claim

A bite from a neighborhood dog might not seem like a serious matter that requires legal intervention, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Austin dog bites and animal attacks can be serious matters that need a lawyer’s attention – not only to protect your own needs, but also to protect your fellow neighbors in Austin from future harm. This is why you need a lawyer for a dog bite claim. To protect yourself and others, even after the smallest bite, contact a lawyer at Carabin Shaw.

To help you understand why you need a lawyer for your dog bite claim, we will discuss a few reasons ahead. This will also help you be better prepared when talking to your lawyer, as well as know what to plan for in the future.

Animal attacks can result in visceral wounds. Widespread lacerations and marring are not uncommon – but even the smallest bite-puncture wounds need immediate medical attention.

The danger of Rabies cannot be understated. No available test detects Rabies in humans, and by the time symptoms arise, it is too late. By too late, we mean too late: when symptoms appear, it is too late for treatment, and the terrifying truth is that rabies has a 99% mortality rate in humans. Don’t take chances – every dog bite needs to be followed by a rabies vaccine, even if you know the animal.

There are also many other serious concerns that need immediate medical attention:

• Bite wounds and lacerations
• Staphylococcus, Capnocytophaga, and Pasteurella infections
• Deep-tissue damage
• Broken bones
• Nerve damage
• Emotional and psychological trauma

Especially with dramatic injuries, many animal attacks leave permanent disfigurement; some even result in lost limbs. Reconstructive surgery is another important need that needs to be taken into account, and a costly one at that. Just as costly, your injury may also require years of rehabilitation or long-term care.

Without a personal injury claim, these expenses can go uncovered, leaving you paying for a dog bite for the rest of your life. And without a lawyer to guide you, your claim may not account for everything, and many expenses may slip through your fingers. This is the most important reason why you need a lawyer for your dog bite claim: to recover bodily and financially.

One of the least thought of reasons for why you need a lawyer for your dog bite claim is also the most important to prevent even greater harm than experienced during the attack itself: providing insurance against future repercussions.

Dog bites can result in medical complications that can arise weeks, months, or even years after the actual attack occurs. Some infections transmitted in bites and scratches can lay dormant in tissue, only to erupt with symptoms much later. The dormant (and fatal) nature of Rabies notwithstanding, Capnocytophaga-species bacteria can remain in the body undetected, but eventually result in life-threatening complications and organ failure. Without a claim filed by a lawyer with the foresight to protect you against such future danger, you may be left with no recourse to fight them nor cover their inevitable expenses.

Aside from future bodily harm, dog bites can also lead to unexpected financial and lifestyle harm. Any major trauma can result in future complications, loss of mobility, and delayed healing, and all of these can impact your ability to work. If a dog bite causes you to lose your job ten years down the road, how can you hold it responsible after so much time? A lawyer can help you create a paper trail and formulate a plan to protect your future.

Although it might not seem the most pressing of concerns, prosecuting animal attacks in a personal injury claim is vitally important to preventing future attacks to those around you. The animal in question may be a menace to your friends, family, and neighbors in the area, and a dog that bites once is very likely to do so again.

In many cases, owners are unaware that their dogs have ever bitten someone at all, and many who are bitten are reluctant to tell the owners for fear of repercussions. Many, including yourself, may also be worried that the dog might be euthanized if they report the incident. A lawyer can help avoid such a situation by acting as a mediator. In this situation, you and the owner can come to a mutual understanding, and animal services will never need to be involved. You will be safe, the owners will be aware, and the dog will happy and better guarded at his home.

If the animal was a stray, local authorities need to be made aware, and your claim will create a public record of the attack. Such a record will help Austin municipal services locate the offending animal and deal with the matter in an expedited and informed manner.

An Austin personal injury attorney from Carabin Shaw is here for you right this moment to help answer your questions and make a plan for your claim. The initial consultation with us is absolutely free, so after you seek medical attention, call Carabin Shaw right away; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Our representatives are standing by to take your call in English or Spanish. Contact Carabin Shaw of Austin today, toll-free, at 800-862-1260.