Things can get chaotic in the moments after a dog attack. While hiring a dog bite lawyer in Spokane, WA is important to ensuring the liable party pays for the damage caused by the dog, here are a couple of things that must be done before picking up the phone.
Get the Contact Information of the Dog Owner and Witnesses
If the dog bite doesn’t require immediate hospitalization, take a moment to get the contact information of the dog’s owners and any witnesses that may be standing around. In addition to being able to contact the owner about paying for medical bills and other damages, there will typically be questions about the dog’s vaccinations that must be answered. For instance, if the dog wasn’t vaccinated for rabies, then the person bitten by the animal may have to undergo a course of shots to eliminate the risk of infection.
Getting the names of witnesses will also be critical, because those people can testify about the incident. Additionally, if the dog was alone when the attack occurred, witnesses may be able to provide information about the animal’s owner so he or she can be tracked down and held responsible.
Get Medical Care
If the dog bite requires medical attention or other injuries occurred trying to escape the attack, get seen by a doctor as soon as possible. Even a minor bite could cause major problems if the dog weren’t properly vaccinated, or the wound gets infected.
Also, it’s critical to have records of the injury and treatment required. It’ll be challenging (but not impossible) for the attorney to properly calculate a number of damages his or her client can receive without records. It may also be hard to prove to the court the extent of the damage caused by the dog if there are no medical records backing up the claim.
If the dog’s owner refuses to pay what’s owed or offers a settlement that’s significantly less than the cost of the damages inflicted by the animal, then contact a dog bite lawyer in Spokane, WA such as Dusty Deissner. An attorney has a variety of legal maneuvers that can be used to get a liable party to take responsibility for his or her dog’s bad behavior.
