How To Negotiate a Dog Bite Settlement

You’ve been bitten by a dog and are now unable to work or enjoy everyday activities with your loved ones. You believe the negligent party owes you compensation for your injuries, and you’re now wondering how to negotiate a dog bite settlement.

Follow these steps to begin the dog bite settlement negotiation process.

Seek Medical Attention for Your Injuries

If you have recently suffered an injury in a dog attack, the first step is to visit a local doctor. While you might not have any visible injuries, pain and sensitivity could relate to an internal issue that requires medical attention. For example, dog bite injuries can cause skin infections due to the bacteria in the dog’s mouth. To treat infections, you’ll need to take antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. 

Your doctor will also perform a visual examination of the bite area and conduct joint tests to determine the extent of any soft tissue damage. Your doctor will likely ask you to undergo an x-ray to detect broken bones. The level of dog bite and extent of the damage will determine the next steps. Understanding the Dunbar Dog Bite Scale can help you learn the various types of dog bite. 

Consult with a Personal Injury Attorney

After treating your immediate medical needs, consult with your local dog bite legal expert. After a dog bite injury, you likely feel alone, afraid, and may even be embarrassed. You’re also likely worried about a future in which your medical costs rise, and you may be unable to work. 

Turn to a local injury attorney with long-standing experience in dog bite case analysis and expertise in helping people in your position to negotiate a dog bite settlement. Your injury attorney will understand the challenges you face and use case law and legal precedent when negotiating your dog bite settlement with the liable party.

Collect Evidence Ready to Negotiate Your Dog Bite Settlement

Once you’ve consulted with a dog bite lawyer, you’ll have clear insights into the evidence required to substantiate your injury claim. 

Potential evidence for your dog bite settlement claim includes:

Photos of your injuries

Take many photos of your injuries over time. The sooner you can document your injuries, the better for your case. Try to get images of your injuries from different angles to showcase the full extent of the damage.

Copies of medical reports

When negotiating a dog bite settlement, evidence from medical professionals will play a significant role. Ask your doctor for copies of x-rays and any additional tests they completed to confirm your injuries. Your injury lawyer can help guide you during this process. They can often connect you with medical professionals specializing in dog bite care and therefore have experience documenting dog bite wounds and treatment.

Witness statements

Many dog bites occur at public parks or social events in family homes. There are likely multiple witnesses to the bite incident, and collecting witness statements will help establish the facts of the case. 

Your injury lawyer will guide you regarding the information to include in a witness statement. For example, the document should explain whether the dog owner acted to restrain the animal. It should also detail whether the animal was on a leash before and during the incident. This type of information is often crucial to negotiating your dog bite settlement.

Analyze the Offer with Your Injury Lawyer

If you’ve provided the other party’s insurance company with clear information regarding your claim and backed up your claim with evidence, you’ll likely receive an initial settlement offer. 

There’s a myth that the first offer you receive is always a lowball offer designed to set a price floor for your case. But many bite victims find, with an experienced lawyer backing their claim, the insurance company will present a fair settlement offer the first time around. Here is another advantage you hold when hiring a qualified Philadelphia injury lawyer. Skilled litigants have a deep knowledge of dog bite case law and will help you determine the merits of the insurance firm’s offer while considering the relative strength of your case. 

Injury lawyers understand the strategies insurance companies use when compiling their offers and can use these strategies in forming your response during dog bite settlement negotiations.

Choose an Experienced Philadelphia Lawyer to Negotiate a Dog Bite Settlement for You

Informed, proactive litigation can help you succeed when negotiating your dog bite settlement. Jeffrey H. Penneys and his legal team have decades of experience handling the complex settlement negotiation and case analysis processes. The firm’s dog bite injury recoveries show clear value in their litigation work. 

When you need compassionate guidance founded upon over 25 years of dog bite case law, call the Law Offices of Jeffrey Penneys. You can call 24/7 to connect with a Philadelphia dog bite injury lawyer