One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of dog bites or attacks doesn’t have anything to do with the injuries or aftereffects, but with the most common victims of these attacks. The sad reality is that the majority of dog bite victims are children.
In fact, an estimate from the CDC puts the total number of dog bite accidents at 4.5 million per year, with 50% of those involving children 14 or younger. If your child is involved in an incident, call our New Orleans dog bite injury attorneys right away so we can guide you through the process of filing a claim.
Damages That Can Be Recovered By Our Dog Bite Injury Attorneys
Children who are injured in a dog attack tend to have more severe injuries than adults. Beyond the immediate effects of the attack, there’s also the potential for the child to suffer emotional trauma, and in some cases, it can lead to a lifetime fear of dogs.
A number of children who suffer a dog bite need counseling in order to process the trauma they’ve lived through. Without this counseling, they could suffer from emotional scars that will last long after their physical injuries heal.
Dogs can be wonderful support animals, but a dog bite or attack can permanently change the way that a child relates with animals. For these reasons, it’s vitally important that a dog bite or attack on a child be taken very seriously, regardless of the severity of the injury.
Ensure Your Child’s Safety First
The authorities should be contacted immediately. Chances are that you won’t be on the scene when your child is attacked, so once you find out what’s happened, you should call 911 and get your child to safety. If you can get a photo of the dog that bit your child, that will help your case down the line. But the priority is always on attending to the safety of your child.
The next step is finding out who the dog owner is and where they are. In many cases, the victim of a dog bite or attack will not personally know the dog or its owner.
After your child is safe, you should check with people who live in the surrounding area. They will likely know the dog as well as its owner. If possible, you should try to get the contact information of the owner. This will be vitally important to your case.
Building Your Dog Bite Injury Case In New Orleans
Another surprisingly overlooked priority has to do with medical attention. Even if the injury doesn’t look severe, it’s always a good idea to get medical attention for a dog bite or attack. There’s a substantial risk of infection or complications, and a medical professional will be able to clean the wound and ensure two things:
- No infection will occur
- There are no underlying injuries going unnoticed
The best-case scenario here is that even if your child is okay and their injury isn’t serious, you’ll have documentation of what happened that you can then use to help build your case.
Trust Our Firm To Aggressively Pursue Your New Orleans Dog Bite Injury Case
When it comes to New dog bite attorneys, it can be difficult to find the right firm to take your case and help your child. At Gertler Accident and Injury Attorneys, we have years of combined experience handling these cases, and we work hard to make sure you understand the process.
We are the preeminent dog bite injury attorneys in New Orleans. If your child has suffered an attack, know the facts, know your rights, and know that our New Orleans dog bite injury lawyers are here for you. Call us today for more information.