Tips To Avoid Dog Bite Claims
This year over 3,000 letter carriers will suffer a dog bite
, which accounts for just .06% of the annual US total. According to the most recent CDC study on dog bites in the United States, 4.7 million Americans are bitten each year. If you are one of the 314 million people living in this country, you have a 1 in 50 chance of being bitten by a dog.The data is somewhat tricky to interpret, as most bites go unreported. Of those 4.7 million victims, about 885,000 will seek medical attention. 386,000 dog bite victims require emergency room treatment each year.
Many dog owners themselves believe that most dog bites are the result of an aggressive or "fighting" animal, or that bites will occur when someone who is unfamiliar with an animal has interacted improperly with it. Many wrongly conclude that if a dog has gone for some time without ever having bitten someone, it likely never will.
The data however, tells a different story - here are two facts worth considering:
* 61% of dog bites occur in either the owner's or victim's home.
* 77% of dog bite victims are members of, or close friends with, the dog owner's family and were familiar with animal that bit them.
When it comes to domestic animal-related liability, not all states are the same. Texas is one of 16 states that do not have dog bite statutes, and instead go by what is known as the "one bite rule". What this means is that a dog's owner is generally protected from liability for the first (and only one) biting incident. When a bite occurs with a dog that had previously bitten someone, the victim is able to seek compensation.
Of course if the owner is in violation of some other law such as a leash law, or conduct-related statute, he/she may still be held liable. This will vary from state-to-state, and within each municipality.
It might also be said that most insurance agencies follow the "one bite rule". Typically, homeowners and renters insurance will cover dog bite liability claims up to a $100,000 to $300,000 limit. However, once your dog has bitten someone, your insurance agency may exclude that animal from future coverage, and your insurance premium may also be raised.
More than a third of all claims against homeowners insurance in 2010 were for dog bites. And while the number of claims has dropped from 16,500 in 2009 to 15,700 in 2010, the average payment for a dog bite claim has increased 5% to $26,000. Going back to 2003 the average claim is up 37 percent. In 2010, dog bite liability claims cost insurers nearly $480 million.
The number of Americans who required hospitalization as a result of a bite-related injury was 9,500 in 2008 (an 86% increase over a 16 year period) at an average cost of $18,200 per patient. 60 percent of dog bite victims are children, and their injuries tend to be far more severe than those of adults who are attacked.
If you are a dog owner, the best way to avoid a claim is to make sure that your dog does not bite someone. Spend time training and socializing him, especially around children and other dogs. Dont allow others to disturb him when he is eating or sleeping. Neuter him, because studies have shown that a dog is three times more likely to bite if he has not been neutered. And never assume that he will not bite, just because he hasnt.
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