When Life Gives You Lemons — Call an Attorney

Being bitten by a dog can be an extremely painful type of injury to suffer. When the dog is owned by another person, you may be entitled to compensation for the damages you suffered as a result of the dog bite. As with any other type of personal injury case, it is important for victims of dog bites to know what they can do to protect or strengthen their case.

Have the Wound Treated

Individuals that have been bitten by a dog can be prone to underestimate the seriousness of these wounds. However, a dog's mouth can be filled with bacteria, and the dog may also have diseases that can be transmitted through bites. These risks make it essential for individuals to seek treatment for even seemingly minor dog bites. Waiting until the bite wound has started to develop complications can greatly complicate the treatment of the wound or put your overall health at risk. In addition to treating the wound for infection, it may also be necessary to get stitches as a dog's tooth can leave a deep and fairly wide gash that can have difficulty healing on its own.

Document the Bite Marks and Location

Thoroughly documenting the bite marks can be another important step in protecting your ability to collect damages. Seeking medical treatment will create records that can be used to help verify the severity of the injury. However, you may also want to take photographs of the wound. These photographs may be better able to convey the seriousness of the wound if the case were to go to the jury. Ideally, you should take pictures throughout the recovery process so that you can also document any complications that may develop. Being able to provide this type of documentation to your personal injury attorney during the initial consultation can also help them to provide you with more accurate information about the legal options that are available to you.

Get the Dog Owner's Contact Information

Immediately after the bite, you should attempt to obtain the owner's contact information as well as the information for any witnesses that may have seen the attack. In some instances, the owner may attempt to flee the scene of the attack. Getting the license plate of their vehicle can help your attorney to track down the owner so that legal steps can be taken. Without this information, it can be extremely difficult to take legal actions against the owner or recover compensation for the damages.