- There are approximately 5
million dog bites per year (nearly 2% of all
Americans are bitten by a dog each year)
- About 800,000 victims per
year require medical attention.
- 1,000 dog bite victims
per day are seen in hospital emergency rooms
with 6000 requiring hospitalization each
year
- Dog bite losses exceed $1
billion per year with $345 million paid by
insurance companies.
The law in Illinois states that the owner of a
dog is fully responsible for all damages to the
victim who was bitten by the dog.
Illinois law specifically
states (510 ILCS 5/16 Sec16):
"If a dog or other animal,
without provocation,
attacks or injures another person who is
peace-
ably conducting himself in any place where
he
may lawfully be, the owner of such dog or
other
animal is liable in damages to such person
for
the full amount of the injury sustained."
- To secure compensation
for a dog bite victim under
Illinois law an attorney must prove the
following:
-The identity of the owner
of the dog;
-That the dog bit the victim;
-That the victim was in a public place or;
lawfully in a private place, which could be
the property
of the of owner of the dog;
-That the bite caused injury, suffering,
loss or harm;
-That the attack was not excused because of
any of the
exceptions listed below.
-Medical treatment such
as first aid, emergency room hospital and
ambulance;
-Future medical treatment for scar
reduction.;
-Psychological counseling to overcome the
emotional trauma of the attack; fear of
dogs; fear of being outdoors and dealing
with disfigurement;
-Loss of earnings from work or the victims
business;
-Torn clothing and broken glasses;
-Medications.
- Obtain immediate
emergency room treatment giving the medical
provider a detailed account of the attack.
- Immediately notify the
police of the dog bite attack and insist
that a police report be completed.
- Take numerous, detailed
photographs (close-ups) or a video, of your
injuries.
- Do not discuss the dog
bite attack with any representative of an
insurance company until you have consulted
with an experienced dog bite attorney.
- Call
800-437-2571
anytime for a free, no obligation
consultation with one of our experienced dog
bite attorneys or use our convenient
Free Case Evaluation submission form.
In order to maximize your
settlement in a dog bite case it is essential
that you retain, as soon as possible after an
attack, an aggressive and experienced dog bite
attorney who has the ability to:
- Evaluate the credibility
and get the testimony of the victim, dog
owner, and witnesses in a form that can be
used as evidence in a courtroom.
- Measure the lifelong
effects of physical injuries, the costs of
future medical care, and the ability to
prove such costs to the insurance company
attorneys.
- Measure the life long
sociological impact of disfiguring injuries,
and estimate the loss of income that a
disfigured person will suffer and the
ability to prove that loss of income to the
insurance company attorney .
- Determine what the
insurance company's position is relative to
the dog bite attack; Was the dog provoked?
Has the dog bitten anyone else? Are there
any loopholes in the specific dog owner's
insurance policy? What are the policy limits
and what is contained in the medical records
of the dog bite victim?
- Even if you could
educate yourself about dog bite claims, you
still would not be able to receive a fair
settlement without an attorney. The
insurance company might offer you some
money, but nothing like the money that it
would pay if there is the threat of a
lawsuit. The bottom line is that insurance
companies never pay maximum legal
compensation to dog bites victims who do are
not represented by attorney.
- Over the last 34
years, the personal injury attorneys at
Donald W. Fohrman & Associates, Ltd., have
represented several hundred dog bite
victims, securing millions
of dollars in settlements and
verdicts.
- We provide free, no
obligation consultations by phone or in
person at any one of our three Illinois
offices. Simply call
800-437-2571 or anytime or use our
convenient
Free Case Evaluation submission form.
- We have consistently
maintained a success rate of
recovering settlements or verdicts for over
90% of our dog bite victim clients.
- We represent all
dog bite victims on a contingent fee basis.
Simply stated, we receive no attorneys fees,
whatsoever, unless we recover money for you.
(No recovery-no fee).
- Over the past 34 years we have developed close
relationships with aggressive and
experienced personal injury attorneys
throughout the US that have proven track
records for securing maximum legal
recoveries for their dog bite victim
clients.
-
Call 800-437-2571
anytime for a referral to a dog bite
attorney in your area who will provide you
with a free, no obligation consultation or
use our convenient
Find An attorney submission form.
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