Dog Bites and Attacks on the Rise in America

Jack Landskroner

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Fellow Injuryboard Blogger, Stephen Wagner has posted some alarming statistics as published by the Center For Disease Control concerning the number of Dog Bites that occur each year in this country.

[N]early 2% of the U.S. population is bitten by a dog each year [....which] translates to nearly 5 million dog bite victims per year, most of whom are children.

If you own a dog, it makes good sense to review your home owners insurance policy to confirm that you have coverage in place in case of an unanticipated bite or attack. Make sure there are no exclusions for the breed of dog you own or for dogs that may have previously been involved in a bite or an attack. Provisions of this nature can result in a rejected claim should an incident occur.

Dog bites generally do not lead to life threatening injuries, with the exception of some recent Pit Bull attacks, however, when children are attacked they are left with permanent scaring which can be both physical and emotional in nature and which will plague them for the duration of their lives. Accordingly, damages on such claims can be substantial.