Dog bites have the potential to inflict serious injuries. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, victims required over 28,000 reconstructive surgeries in 2015. This fact illustrates why dog bite victims with significant injuries seek out representation from personal injury lawyers. Laws in Nevada and nationwide recognize that injury victims may have cause to hold dog owners or keepers financially responsible for what happened.

Huge U.S. Dog Population

As of 2018, the American Veterinary Medical Association estimated that the United States’ dog population totaled 76,811,305. The pets lived in 48,255,413 households. Because well over one-third of households (38.4 percent) include dogs, almost everyone can expect to interact with dogs regularly. When something goes wrong, an injured person may need to speak with a Las Vegas injury lawyer to learn if damages may be recoverable.

 

Dog Attacks, Injuries, and Deaths

The most recent numbers collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 4.5 million people suffer dog bites annually. Between 750,000 and 800,000 people require medical care. A 2008 analysis of emergency department visits and hospitalizations determined that approximately 316,200 people went to hospitals because of dog bites in that year. The majority of these attacks involved dogs that were not spayed or neutered.

The stereotypical image of a dog menacing a postal worker is completely accurate. In 2017, dogs attacked 6,244 postal workers.

As the human and dog populations in the country rise, so do incidents of dog bites. From the 1980s through 2012, dog attacks that killed people jumped an alarming 82 percent. In the 1980s and 1990s, dogs killed about 17 people each year. By 2007, the annual death toll attributed to dogs averaged 31 fatalities.

 

 

 

 

 

Medical Costs

The financial damages arising from dog bites total over $1 billion each year. Serious dog bite injuries that cause hospitalization tend to cost more than hospitalizations for other types of injuries. Victims who require inpatient hospital care for serious dog bites pay an average of $18,200 compared to an average of $12,100 for people recovering from other injuries. Top personal injury lawyers Las Vegas often assist local victims with accessing insurance coverage from the responsible party. Homeowner’s insurance policies end up paying many claims related to dog attacks. In 2018, these insurers settled $675 million in dog bite claims.

 

 

Do Pit Bulls Deserve Their Vicious Reputation?

The answer is both yes and no. The statistics about pit bulls’ involvement in serious attacks are apparent. Researchers found that 3,569 Americans and Canadians were maimed or killed by pit bulls from 2009 to 2018. When fatal dog attacks happen, a pit bull is responsible for over 80 percent of incidents.

However, pit bulls subjected to temperament testing pass their evaluations in 86.7 percent of cases. The breed itself may be less to blame than the nature of the owners who have the aggressive pit bulls. This breed is often trained for fighting purposes. When that happens, they are quite dangerous.

Many dogs suffer from mistreatment, neglect, and abuse that can cause them to act aggressively. One study concluded that 78 percent of dogs were kept because people wanted them to guard, fight, breed, or create a lifestyle image. These motivations often place dogs in undesirable circumstances that leave them scared, vicious, and without good social skills. A Las Vegas injury lawyer may find information about dog owners whose behavior contributed to a dog’s aggression. Such evidence could support a victim’s claim for damages.

 

Legal Rights for Dog Bite Victims

Dog owner negligence forms the legal reasoning behind requiring the payment of damages to a dog bite victim. A dog that has already bitten someone once places liability on an owner because the danger has become known and the person should have kept the animal away from people. This is known as the one-bite rule. Although Nevada does not have a one-bite rule on the books, Las Vegas and most municipalities do. Top personal injury lawyers Las Vegas understand the standards for proving negligence and defending victims’ rights to collect compensation. If you need advice in the aftermath of a painful dog attack, please contact Moss Berg Injury Lawyers right away.