After receiving a dog bite, you or a loved one may be overwhelmed with understanding what to do next. From medical bills to other out-of-pocket expenses, it’s likely that you’re trying not to drown in unexpected losses while still trying to live your day-to-day life.
The good news is that if you’re a victim of a dog bite, you likely can file a claim and collect damages as a result of an insurance settlement or even a court proceeding. So, in this guide, we’re explaining what types of expenses a dog bite claim can help pay for in Oklahoma City. While the financial restitution can pay for many aspects of your dog bite injuries, it cannot cover everything potentially associated with the case.
Upon reading this blog, if you have any questions, our Oklahoma City dog bite lawyer at Warhawk Legal would be more than happy to answer them. Give us a call at (405) 397-1717.
Types Of Compensation That Can Be Received After Dog Bites
It’s important to understand the two major categories of damages that you can receive in a dog bite case. Those are economic and non-economic.
Economic damages are the damages that stem from real-world costs. Non-economic damages have no fixed dollar amount and are largely intangible.
Here are examples and definitions of these areas of compensation.
Compensation for Medical Costs
Medical costs are considered a form of economic damages and are likely the most common when considering a dog bite’s physical impact.
Medical costs as a subset of economic damages can be fairly broad. Specific expenses that fall within this category include doctor’s visits, co-pays, surgery, rehabilitation costs, assistive devices, home accessibility renovations, in-home health care, and long-term care.
Compensation for Lost Wages and Future Earning Potential
Lost wages are also a form of economic damages. Essentially, any uncompensated time away from work attributed to the dog bite can be considered lost wages and can be paid out from a settlement or jury verdict. Additionally, if the dog bite causes long-term problems that prevent the victim from working at their former vocation, they can also claim lost future earning potential since they are unable to return to work.
Compensation for Pain and Suffering
Pain and suffering is an obvious side effect of a dog bite. It’s also a form of non-economic damages. Since no dollar amount can be affixed to the cost of pain and suffering, this is usually awarded at the discretion of a judge or jury.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are awarded during civil court proceedings. This type of damages is typically awarded to punish the defendant for acting with malice or excessive recklessness. As applied to dog bites, this may look like the dog being ordered to attack the victim or if the dog has a repeated history of biting without the owner interfering.
Understanding Damages for Dog Bites
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), insurance companies pay out over $1 million in compensation to dog bite victims, with the average claim in the $50,000 range. If you think filing a claim could help make you financially whole again, our Oklahoma City injury lawyers would love to help.
If you have any questions about the types of damages you could receive from dog bites, contact us at (405) 397-1717.