What to Do if a Dog Bites You and You Don’t Know Its Owner

A Frightening Situation for Any Dog Bite Victim

Being bitten by a dog can be a traumatizing experience. In the moment, you may be in a lot of physical pain from immediate injuries, and the emotional harm suffered can last for months or even years. What makes this scary situation even worse is not knowing who the dog’s owner is. A bite is stressful enough when you do know the owner, but a stray or loose dog attack can complicate things even further.

After a bite attack, it is crucial to take the proper steps to protect your health and preserve any hope of identifying the liable party. A canine bite injury lawyer can play an important role in securing your financial future after a severe attack.

In this guide, we will discuss the immediate actions to take in the event of an attack.

Your Immediate Steps After a Stray or Loose Dog Bite

Any injuries that a dog causes can have life-altering consequences. A severe bite could become infected. If the dog had Rabies, it could pass this disease along through its saliva. Even if the dog never bit you, your attempt to escape could have caused you to fall, leading to broken bones.

No matter the type of injury, here are the immediate steps you must take after the attack:

1. Seek medical attention right away – This is the top priority after a bite attack because untreated wounds could cause significant health complications, so you should seek diagnosis and treatment immediately.
2. Report the incident to the local authorities – If a dog in Illinois attacks you, contact both the police and the local animal control in your city or county. Provide as detailed a description as possible of the dog and the location of the attack.
3. Gather information from the accident scene – If it is safe to do so, try to take a picture of the dog or check if it has a collar. Look around for witnesses who may know the owner of the dog and collect their contact information. If you notice nearby cameras, try to obtain surveillance footage of the attack.
4. Retain all medical records – If you hope to establish liability, you must prove that the attack led to legal damages. Therefore, it is essential to keep all medical documents related to your treatment, including test results, medical bills, and treatment plans.
5. Get in touch with the owner – If you are able to determine the owner of the dog, you should also report the attack to them. In most cases, the Illinois Animal Control Act clearly establishes that the dog’s owner is held strictly liable for injuries caused by their pet.
6. Consult our canine bite injury law firm – Our attorneys have the experience needed to identify the owner, establish negligence, and fight for fair compensation.

Rabies Prevention After Being Bitten by a Dog

If you cannot immediately identify the dog’s owner, one of the dangers you may face is contracting Rabies from the dog. Without knowing who the dog belongs to, there is no one to say whether the dog is up-to-date on their vaccinations.

You should speak to your doctor about receiving Rabies shots as quickly as possible. This is a critical and non-negotiable step you should follow to prevent what is often a fatal disease for humans. Rabies shots are almost always recommended to people who are bitten by stray dogs with unknown vaccination histories.

Can You File a Dog Bite Claim if the Dog’s Owner is Unknown?

If you cannot determine the dog’s owner, then it is not possible to file an injury claim. There must be a liable party to pursue a lawsuit. This is why reporting the incident to the proper authorities and looking for nearby witnesses is essential, as it increases the likelihood of identifying the dog’s owner.

If you are able to determine the owner, you could recover damages via a personal injury claim. Although dog bite cases can be complex, owners are often liable for the actions of their pets, even if there is no history of aggressive behavior. To win your lawsuit, you must prove the following elements are true to establish negligence:

• Duty of care – The owner had a legal duty to protect you from harm
• Breach of duty – The defendant’s actions violated their duty of care, resulting in the harm you suffered from the attack
• Causation – There is a causal link between the owner’s actions and the injuries you suffered
• Legal damages – You suffered economic and/or non-economic losses as a direct result of the attack

How Are Your Medical Bills Paid When You Don’t Know Who the Dog Belongs to?

Dog bite victims often face difficult financial realities after the attacks. An attack can lead to serious injuries, including puncture wounds, lacerations, infections, broken bones, muscle sprains and strains, and even amputations. These consequences will leave you with medical bills that must be addressed.

In most cases, your health insurance should cover the primary medical bills associated with your diagnosis and treatment. You will still be responsible for covering co-pays or deductibles based on your insurance policy and the medical attention you received after the dog hurt you. It is worth speaking with the hospital’s billing department to inquire about financial assistance options if you do not have insurance.

If the dog’s actions force you to seek medical attention, you can recover compensation to cover your medical expenses if you can identify the owner. A personal injury lawsuit can result in a settlement for the following economic and non-economic damages:

• Lost wages
• Medical bills
• Health insurance co-pays and deductibles
• Emotional distress
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life

With the right law firm on your side, your chances of securing compensation for medical payments will increase exponentially.

Contact Us for a Free Consultation and Guidance

Our team of expert attorneys understands the burden you face when recovering from a severe dog attack. A dog bite attorney in Chicago can help investigate the accident, report it to the relevant entities, establish liability with the owner, assess all legal damages, negotiate with health insurance companies, and litigate in civil court if necessary.

Our firm operates on a contingency fee basis, meaning you owe nothing unless we secure a favorable outcome. You can also take advantage of a free consultation with our lawyers to ask questions about the legal process.

Contact us today to schedule your free consultation about holding the loose dog’s owner accountable for your suffering.