Dog bite injuries that cause disfigurement can have a profound emotional and physical impact. Victims need urgent legal and psychological support as they rebuild their lives and try to address their family’s future health and financial requirements. As you rebuild your lives after suffering a disfiguring dog attack, this is our guide to filing a dog bite claim involving disfigurement.
What Are the Most Common Types of Dog Bite Disfigurement?
The latest data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons shows over 26,000 people annually across the U.S. undergo cosmetic surgery for dog bite repair. The most common forms of dog bite disfigurement include:
Injuries with scarring to the head and neck
Dog bite victims, particularly children, are more likely to experience injuries to the head and neck in a dog attack. Dog bite victims often experience damage to the tissue near the cheekbones and around the neck, as a dog’s primal instinct is to attack the neck of a victim to incapacitate them.
Loss of fingers and hand disfigurement
Adult dog bite victims are far more likely to experience defensive damage to their hands and fingers. It’s not uncommon for dogs with a high bite strength, such as pit bulls and mastiffs to bite through a person’s finger and cause partial or permanent loss of function.
Loss of ears and hearing damage
Both children and adults are susceptible to damage to their ears in an attack. Ear damage often occurs when a person turns their back on a dog and the animal lunges at their face. The instinct to turn the head away leaves the ears vulnerable. Larger animals will bite through the cartilage of the ears and cause substantial nerve damage, potentially leading to hearing loss.
The Factors Influencing The Dog Bite Disfigurement Settlement Figures
One of the first questions victims and their families ask when first reviewing legal options in a case of scarring and disfigurement is “How will the insurance companies determine the value of my claim”. Below are the factors the Pennsylvania courts use to assign a value to dog bite claims. Insurance companies will generally determine settlement baselines according to these factors.
The Dog Bite Victim’s Age
Younger attack victims may experience unique emotional and psychological damages. For example, children may experience social isolation as a result of facial scarring after a dog attack, which impacts their education and stalls their learning process. This may cause them to lose out on potential career opportunities as an adult.
The Severity of the Injuries
The subjective severity of dog bite injuries plays a role in final settlements. For example, injuries to their face and eyes generally and the loss of limbs due to a dog attack lead to the highest settlements for the victim.
Temporary Vs. Permanent
While victims can receive settlements for temporary disfigurement and scarring. Temporary disfigurement is defined under Pennsylvania law as scarring or a disfiguring injury that surgeons can resolve. A victim seeking compensation for temporary disfigurement can claim all surgical expenses, as well as the cost of appointments, medical travel costs, and loss of income costs.
Permanent disfigurement cases are those in which a medical professional has determined there is no potential for full recovery without serious risk to the victim. Cases of permanent disfigurement can involve the loss of a limb or damage to the tissue of the face and neck, which impacts the nerves and makes surgical outcomes less viable.
Ongoing and Future Medical Expenditures
Ongoing medical costs are one of the primary considerations for dog bite disfigurement settlements. Disfigurement to the arms and legs may require ongoing physical therapy to mitigate loss of muscle function. Victims may also need long-term psychological counseling to address the anxiety and fear dog attacks can provoke for years afterward. A further consideration is an ongoing medication for pain management and their psychological health. These costs can rise into the tens of thousands of dollars per year for many years, requiring a substantial settlement from the dog owner’s insurance firm.
Preexisting Mental and Physical Health Concerns
A dog attack victim may have been facing significant health challenges before the attack, and these mental and physical health concerns are a factor in the settlement negotiation process. For example, a person using a wheelchair may have already been vulnerable and may require further assistance in the form of adaptive equipment.
What Are My Cosmetic Treatment Options for Partial Disfigurement?
Your doctor will advise you on the best course of treatment for partial disfigurement. If you’re researching the treatment process for the first time, you might consider speaking with local medical professionals about the following cosmetic treatment options
- Dermabrasion or laser resurfacing can help reduce elevated scars and form a smoother surface across the skin.
- Injected medications can reduce the size of keloid or hypertrophic scars, which surgeons can then remove.
- Scar revision is an option for recreating the incision and surgically moving the affected skin to reduce the visibility of the disfiguring scars.
Can a Dog Bite Lawyer Help Me Navigate My Medical and Legal Options?
Dog bite lawyers like Jeffrey Harlan Penneys can help guide you in every phase of your research and settlement process after a dog attack. Jeffrey Penneys has decades of experience working with Pennsylvania families to connect them with medical resources and fighting the insurance companies for fair settlements after their disfigurement case. His landmark work has helped victims throughout the state win millions of dollars in dog bite compensation.
Don’t settle for less than you deserve in your dog bite disfigurement case. Work with one of Pennsylvania’s most experienced and highly-rated dog bite attorneys and get the compensation you deserve for your future. Call (215) 259-3703 to confirm your free dog bite case review for your disfigurement case. You won’t pay any fee unless you win your case.