Dog bite injuries may heal, but the scarring of the skin and disfigurement after a dog bite can impact your daily life, a perpetual reminder of your traumatic dog attack. Dog bite scars affect your social life, professional performance, and self-esteem. You’re due fair compensation for the powerful impact of dog bite scars and for the potential cost of scar removal treatment in the future.
Let’s explore how you can recover a fair settlement for dog bite scarring and its lifelong effects with this latest guide to dog bite compensation.
What Do We Mean by “Dog Bite Scar”?
When evaluating claims for compensation associated with dog bite scars, we should first define a dog bite scar. There are different types of dog bite scars, each with their own associated medical and psychological impact:
Raised or Hypertrophic
Raised and hypertrophic scars are generally the result of an initial injury and the skin growing to cover the initial dog bite wound. These hypertrophic scars tend to diminish in size over time.
Keloids
Keloids are a slightly more severe form of raised scar and involve the skin growing over scar tissue. Keloids can impact underlying nerves in the area and reduce the victim’s level of sensation while restricting movement.
Atrophic
Atrophic scars are sunken and resemble rounded pits with small indentations in the skin. Atrophic scars relating to dog attacks are generally the result of the teeth clamping down on areas of fatty tissue.
Contracture
Contracture scars tighten the affected region and are generally associated with dog bite scars covering a large surface area.
Flat Scars
Flat scars are generally only visible due to the discoloration of the skin and are often the easiest to remove through cosmetic treatments.
The Factors that Impact Dog Bite Scar Removal Settlements
When evaluating compensation claims for dog bite scar removal and presenting a settlement, insurance companies will generally consider the following elements:
The Victim’s Age
In a recent study of dog bite scarring and its impact on young children, 77% of parents opted for scar revision between 9 and 18 months after the initial attack. Younger dog bite victims tend to receive higher compensation for dog bite scarring. The reason is twofold: a dog bite scar at a younger age can impact the psyche. In addition, younger dog bite victims must deal with the trauma of the scarring for more of their lifetime than older victims.
The Scar Location
Prominent scars on an often-visible area of the dog bite victim’s body generally lead to higher settlement offers than concealed scarring. Bites to the face and neck tend to lead to higher settlements. These prominent scars usually have a widely felt adverse impact on a person’s life, so impacted victims receive higher sums.
The Victim’s Occupation
Victims working in occupations such as sales and marketing, in which scarring may impact their potential career opportunities and reduce their earning potential tend to receive higher compensation.
The Total Cost of Scar Treatment
The insurance companies will take all medical treatments the patient has undertaken to remove the scars into consideration when evaluating a settlement claim.
How Does Settlement Work for Victims with Permanent Disfigurement?
Dog bites and particularly vicious dog attacks can result in permanent disfigurement for which scar removal is not an option. Victims with permanent disfigurement tend to experience more emotional distress than those who may require scar removal with scarring that eventually heals.
Permanent disfigurement impacts the dog attack victim’s social life, as well as their employment and self-esteem. Insurance companies and the courts tend to take these factors into consideration when evaluating dog bite scar claims involving permanent disfigurement. As a result, compensation offers and final dog bite settlements tend to be far higher in cases where a victim experiences permanent disfigurement.
What Evidence Can I Collect to Secure Compensation for Dog Bite Scarring?
To secure compensation under Pennsylvania law for dog bite scars and scar removal treatment, you must prove the following:
The Dog Bite Scars Are the Result of a Bite from a Specific Dog
Your dog bite claim will rest on proving a specific dog and owner(s) are responsible for your injuries. Collect all available medical evidence regarding the extent of your injuries, scarring, and the potential scar removal cost.
Provide a timeline from the day of the attack to the present day, showing the steps you’ve taken to treat your injuries and backing your claim with clear medical documentation. If you have any questions about this process or don’t know the identity of the dog’s owner, call a local dog bite lawyer to investigate your claim.
That the Dog Owner Owed You a Duty of Care
In most cases, a dog owner has a duty of care to prevent all foreseeable instances of dog bites and attacks. In general, dog ownership confers responsibility to stop the dog from causing harm to the general public.
In dog bite cases where a dog has bitten a victim, a breach of the duty of care by the owner is usually simple to establish.
Your Specific Damages Relating to the Dog Attack
After collecting all medical evidence and establishing the link between the dog and your injuries, you must calculate the approximate cost of your damages. Ask your medical provider and your cosmetic specialists for itemized bills covering your dog bite treatment.
Collect information regarding time off work due to your dog bite injuries. If you’ve seen a mental health professional for the trauma associated with your dog bite scarring, add their billing documentation to your evidence-collection process.
Get Fair Compensation for the Lifelong Impact of Dog Bite Scars
Jeffrey Penneys is known throughout Pennsylvania for his work with dog bite victims. From young children attacked in their family homes to postal workers bitten by dogs while on their routes, his expertise, experience, and forthright negotiating skills help victims get fair compensation.
Put decades of Pennsylvania dog bite law experience behind your claim. Discover the potential value of your dog bite scar removal settlement by calling leading Philadelphia dog bite lawyer Jeffrey Penneys at 215-771-0430.