Dog Bite Lawyers in Pennsylvania: Medical Costs Are Strict Liability, the Rest Is Not

Two halves of the same claim

This is why two people bitten by the same dog can end up with very different claims. It is also why the paperwork after the bite matters so much.

The one-bite problem, and how to solve it

Proving an owner knew the dog was dangerous does not require a previous bite that drew blood. Prior lunging, growling at passers by, a “beware of dog” sign, the dog being kept muzzled or chained, previous complaints to a landlord, and previous animal control reports all go to knowledge.

Report the bite to animal control. Even where your own claim does not need it, the report creates the record. Most serious maulings in Pennsylvania are by dogs with a history that nobody wrote down.

Where the money comes from

Usually homeowner’s or renter’s insurance, and it typically covers dog bites, sometimes with breed exclusions. If the bite happened at the owner’s rented home, a landlord may also be responsible where they knew about a dangerous animal on the property and allowed it.

Ask for the owner’s name, address and insurer at the scene if you can. People often leave with only a first name and a description of the dog, which turns a straightforward claim into an investigation.

Children, faces and scarring

Most serious dog bite injuries in Pennsylvania are to children, and they are disproportionately to the face and scalp because of height. These cases have particular features: a child’s own claim generally does not begin running until they turn eighteen, scarring valuation should account for revision surgery over years rather than the first repair, and settlements for minors require court approval.

Do not settle a child’s facial scarring claim before a plastic surgeon has given an opinion on what the scar will look like at maturity and what it will take to revise it.

What to do

1. Get medical attention. Puncture wounds infect, and rabies and tetanus questions are time sensitive.
2. Report to animal control, and get the report number.
3. Photograph the wounds the same day and then weekly as they heal. Scars are valued on how they settle, and nobody photographs them later.
4. Get the owner’s details, their insurer, and the dog’s vaccination status.
5. Note witnesses, including anyone who says they had trouble with the dog before.