Suffered from a Dog Bite Injury? Here Are Your First Steps

While only 1 in 5 dog bites require serious medical attention, you should always take medical and legal action if you have been bitten anyway. Immediate action can prevent not only serious infections like rabies, but also future incidents with the same dog.

Get medical care

Although you can (and should) treat your dog bite wound immediately after the incident occurs, a medical professional can provide a more thorough treatment for your wound. They can also provide a more accurate assessment of whether the wound has become infected.

Get the dog owner’s information

Additional information about the dog can be a great boon to a doctor’s analysis — and ultimately, treatment — of your wound. It is therefore important to get the dog owner’s information for both medical and legal purposes.

See if there are witnesses

If you are considering legal action against the dog owner to compensate for your emotional, physical, and financial trauma, then collecting the contact information of anyone who may have seen the dog bite you may be vital to an Elizabeth Personal Injury Attorney’s ability to win your court case.

Call animal control

Another important source of evidence for your case is animal control. Animal control will verify the dog’s medical and behavioral history and keep the results of their investigation on record. These records can be helpful for Elizabeth personal injury lawyers who are looking at your case.

Additionally, New Jersey state law requires doctors to report any dog bites that they treat. These reports help prevent the spread of rabies and other dangerous animal-borne diseases in the State of New Jersey and the surrounding regions.

Call a lawyer

All of this evidence is crucial to any Elizabeth NJ attorneys involved with your personal injury lawsuit. However, it can be overwhelming to gather the required documentation, especially while the trauma of your dog bite wound is still fresh. Ashton E. Thomas can help you navigate the complex New Jersey legal system and get you the compensation that you deserve.