Child Dog Bite Claim

It’s virtually impossible to come up with an accurate figure for the number of people in the UK who are bitten by dogs every year, since many bites go unreported. What is certain, however, is that children are particularly vulnerable to being bitten by a dog. The reasons for this are twofold – firstly, there’s the size issue; compared to a child under the age of ten, even a small to medium sized dog is a fairly large and powerful animal, whereas a larger dog is capable of inflicting major damage. Secondly, there’s the fact that children, in their innocence, may be more likely to approach, touch and interact with a strange dog, without being certain of the dogs temperament or mood.

If a child is bitten by a dog it’s a particularly traumatic, since it will often result in psychological as well as physical damage. A child dog bite at a young age could result in a fear of dogs or even animals in general which it takes many years to get over, and the physical injuries caused by such an attack can, on occasion, be horrific. Indeed, every year there are reports of fatalities caused by dog attacks, and so it’s difficult to overstate the effect that an attack from a dog can have.

When thinking of dog bites, most people probably, and understandably, imagine attacks by the kind of dogs listed in the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act – dogs such as a Pit Bull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro. However, in reality, any dog has the potential to lash out and injure a child, and if it does you may be in a position to make a child dog bite claim for compensation.

In order for such a claim to be successful, it will have to be demonstrated that the owner of the dog behaved in a negligent manner, allowing their dog to move freely without restraint despite the fact that they ought to have been aware of the risks involved. It could be that the dog has bitten somebody in the past, or has been known to display aggressive tendencies and, if this is the case it will greatly bolster any claim that’s being made. According to the aforementioned dangerous dogs act, certain dogs have to be muzzled at all times when out in public, and failure to do so will mean that a claim is highly likely to be successful. If your child has been bitten by a dog, there are certain steps which should be taken immediately if you wish to make a claim for compensation:

• Report the incident to the police. They may have a record of any previous incidents involving the same dog.
• Take the details of any witnesses.
• Take down the address of the dog and its’ owner.
• If possible, photograph the injuries which have been caused.
• Keep all receipts pertaining to any expenses caused by the injury.

If you contact our expert dog bite lawyers by calling FREEPHONE on 0808 231 5942, they’ll go through the details of your case and tell you whether a claim is worth pursuing. If it is, they will talk you through the process of pursuing a claim and help to build a case. In some cases, compensation will be sought through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, which provides for compensation to be paid whether the owners of the dog have taken out insurance or not.

For a parent, there are few things more distressing than seeing their child in pain, and seeking compensation is one way of starting to get over that pain. It’s not your fault, and it’s certainly not your child’s fault, so why shouldn’t they receive the dog attack compensation they deserve.