Protecting Your Legal Rights
You’re walking in your neighborhood or at a nearby park when you’re hurt in an unprovoked attack by someone else’s dog. What should you do in the minutes and hours following the assault to both protect your health and maximize your legal rights?
Step #1—Attend to Your Health
The first and most important thing after any personal injury is to get the medical care you need. If possible, do a self-assessment and determine the scope and extent of your injuries. Do you need to go to the hospital by ambulance? Are you bleeding? If so, can you stop the bleeding? Can you call 911? Or do you need someone else to do that for you?
If your injuries are serious, it’s best to stay where you are until emergency personnel arrive, provided you can do that without putting yourself at risk of further injury. When emergency responders arrive, defer to their expertise and judgment. Be willing to travel to the hospital by ambulance.
Even if you can walk away from the incident, seek immediate medical attention as soon as possible. This will not only maximize your chances of the best recovery, but it can also potentially protect your legal rights. When you wait to seek medical care for a dog bite, you risk suffering another injury that may affect a potential lawsuit, as it might be difficult to identify what injuries were caused by the dog vs. the subsequent incident. Furthermore, the longer you wait, the more likely a defense attorney will argue that your injuries were not that serious.
When you’re treated, tell doctors about everything that seems out of the ordinary. Ask them to put all aspects of their examination and diagnosis in writing.
If you can walk away from the attack, but you can’t immediately seek medical treatment, do the following:
- Apply pressure with a dry, clean cloth to staunch any bleeding—remember, though, that some bleeding can be helpful, as it tends to flush out germs.
- If you can, wash your wounds with soap and water for up to 15 minutes.
- Cover the wound, but let it breathe. You want the wound to stay dry, if possible. It’s okay to apply an antibacterial cream or ointment.
Step#2—Gather Evidence, If Possible
In Texas, as in all states, you have a right to seek monetary compensation from the owner when a dog bites or attacks you without provocation. The more evidence you have, the greater your chances of success in court. In the immediate aftermath, you can do certain things to help your attorney prepare a compelling case:
- Get the name, address, and other contact information of the dog’s owner, as well as anyone who witnessed the assault.
- Take pictures of anything related to the attack, including your injuries, the dog, the dog’s enclosure, and where you were when the attack took place. The camera on your phone is fine for these pictures.
Step #3—Retain Experienced Legal Counsel
As soon as possible, you want to hire a knowledgeable lawyer to protect your interests. Your attorney will be your advocate in all legal proceedings and can also be your intermediary with insurance companies, if necessary. Your lawyer will know what needs to be filed, and when, and will make certain you follow all required procedures to get full and fair compensation for your losses.
Contact the Aggressive Texas Dog-Bite Attorneys at Bailey & Galyen
At the law offices of Bailey & Galyen, we have provided effective counsel to personal injury victims throughout Texas for more than 40 years, including people who have suffered ny injury because of a dog bite or other animal attack. Since our inception, we have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for personal injury victims throughout the Lone Star State and across the nation. We will be your advocate throughout the legal process, from the investigation of your accident to the filing of a complaint and the final resolution of your lawsuit. Contact us by e-mail or call our offices at one of the convenient locations listed below. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
