A dog bite attack can occur at a private residence or a public location. Dogs can attack individuals visiting their owners or delivering packages at a private residence. They could escape from the yard and attack a random stranger on the sidewalk or misbehave while unrestrained at a public park.
Some dogs become aggressive with very little warning. They can attack someone out of the blue in a public location or go from complacent to violent in seconds. Dogs of all sizes and breeds can become aggressive and cause serious injury to nearby humans.
After a dog bite incident occurs, an affected individual may have lingering medical consequences beyond the initial physical trauma. The following are some of the more concerning potential medical consequences that may arise after a dog bite attack.
Significant infections
The mouth of a dog is full of bacteria. While canine mouths may not be quite as dangerously dirty as human mouths, they can still introduce bacteria to a human’s bloodstream. The deep puncture wounds created when a dog bites a person can be quite difficult to clean. Infection can develop days after the initial incident and can pause significant medical expenses for the injured party.
Disfiguring scars
Dogs often bite prominent, visible parts of the human body. The bite wounds they cause may produce scarring on the face, neck or hands. Particularly when people suffer injuries to their faces, the scars that result can have blasting medical and financial implications. It may be very difficult to treat the scars. Those with lingering physical reminders of the incidents may find that they struggle with psychological consequences. Visible scars can potentially affect someone’s mental health and may even diminish their long-term earning potential.
Broken bones
Particularly when the dog that attacks is a larger breed, the person they bite might fall and break a bone. It is also possible for the dog bite itself to break bones if the person attacked is a child, older adult or medically vulnerable individual. Broken bones can force people to take extended leaves of absence from work and may produce significant medical costs.
Insurance coverage carried by an aggressive dog’s owner can potentially help cover medical costs and other losses related to a dog bite incident. Filing a civil lawsuit is sometimes necessary for people who hope to recoup the financial consequences of a dog’s recent aggression.
