Not many things are more frightening than being bitten by a dog. Whether the dog belongs to a friend or wanders up on the street, you may need medical attention and will need to take care of other issues too.
If you find yourself or someone you love in this situation, these simple tips will help:
- Quietly remove yourself from the situation when possible, to avoid the dog biting again. Do not chase the animal.
- Follow normal first aid procedures. Clean the wound if possible and apply pressure if the wound is bleeding. You do not want to lose more blood than is absolutely necessary.
- Seek immediate medical attention. It can be vital that you start treatment right away. Even if the pain is not too bad now, it may get worse over time. It is also important that the bite is documented. Be sure to take photographs of your injuries.
- Keep cool when dealing with the dog owner. In many cases, the owner truly did not imagine this could ever happen.
- Call a personal injury attorney. No matter how big or small the bite, it is important that you get in touch with an injury attorney before it is too late.
- Report the bite to animal control or the local authorities. This needs to be documented so that it will not happen again, and so the dog can be checked for rabies.
- Talk to your Orlando injury attorney about the need for follow up care and trauma counseling. It could be that this is something the dog owner will need to pay for.
As you can see, there is a lot you have to think about after a dog bite. Ideally, with the help of an experienced Orlando injury lawyer, you will obtain the compensation necessary to cover medical bills and other associated losses.