Steps To Take After Experiencing A New Haven Dog Bite Injury

The weather is warming up (although did it ever get cold this winter?) and that means you may be out and about more often and interacting with dogs that you might otherwise not be interacting with.  These interactions may lead to a New Haven dog bite injury that will cause you pain and suffering and in some cases may end you up in the hospital.

This type of injury can be scary and leave you wondering what happened and how it happened so fast.  The aftermath of such an injury can be very serious and if not handled correctly can leave you stunned and without anything to show for your injury and mental anguish.  It is critically important that you not only take good care of yourself, but also follow a series of steps if you were to be injured by a dog bite so you can get the medical attention and compensation you may be entitled to receive.  In order to make sure you are taken care of, you should follow these steps to document your injury and protect your interests.

Step #1: Take photos: Depending on the severity of your injury, photos can help document the scene where the bite occurred.  You should take photos of your injury, the surroundings and, if possible, the dog who bit you.  These photos can be used as documentation for the injury.

Step #2: Get the contact information of the dog owner.  This is a critical step so you can follow up with the owner as you progress through your treatment and recovery.  Make sure you document the owner’s full name, contact information including phone number and email address and if she/he has insurance, you will want to get that information as well.

Step #3: Get seen by a medical professional.  Depending on the severity of your injury you may want to make this your first step and you may even need help getting medical attention.  Whether your injury is small or large you will want to make sure you see a medical provider.  Do not skip this step as it is important to your recovery.

One additional step you may need to take is reporting the incident to your local animal control.  This step is mainly necessary if the dog is off her/his leash and the owner is not able to be found.  If this is the case you will want to report your New Haven dog bite injury to animal control and make sure they have as much information as possible.  This is also important if the dog has bitten others and needs to be brought in by animal control.

Getting injured by a dog is not something that is terribly common, but it certainly does happen and when it does you need an experienced attorney on your side to make sure that your long-term interests are being met.  Contact our office if you’ve been injured and one of our attorneys will review your situation and work with you on protecting you in the long run.