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You Can Learn From My Mistakes

After being involved in a serious car accident, I really believed that my insurance company would take care of everything. It wasn't until I finally received their settlement offer that I realized they were not on my side at all. This is when I got wise and consulted a personal injury lawyer. It was the best decision I could have made. Thanks to my attorney, not only did I learn a lot about personal injury law, but I actually got the compensation that I needed and deserved. I made a lot of mistakes after my accident, but I also learned a lot along the way. It is my hope that this blog will allow other accident victims to learn from common mistakes and get the information they need to be successful in their own personal injury claims.

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You Can Learn From My Mistakes

What To Do If Your Neighbor's Dog Attacks Your Child

by Riley Sanchez

Dogs are usually great pets, but the situation may arise where they attack a human, with or without provocation. This can be a scary and traumatic event, especially if a child is involved. If your child is ever attacked by a dog belonging to one of your neighbors, take the following steps:

Seek Immediate Medical Care

Dogs have incredibly strong jaws, so a dog bite can do a lot of damage to a child. No matter how "mild" or severe the attack was, it is in your best interest to get your child medical care right away. There is a lot of bacteria in a dog's mouth, so even if the wound does not require sutures or closure by a medical professional, it will need to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and a course of antibiotics may be prescribed to help prevent infection. If your child is bleeding profusely or sustained multiple wounds you may want to seek the services of an emergency room at a hospital; with less severe wounds contact your child's pediatrician or go to an urgent care center.

Obtain the Dog's Shot Records

Contact your neighbor to request a copy of the dog's shot records; most canine diseases do not affect humans, but rabies is a potentially fatal ailment that can be passed from a dog to a human when it bites. The preventative treatment for rabies involves a series of painful shots, so if your neighbor can provide proof that the dog is vaccinated against rabies your child may not have to go through the ordeal of receiving treatment to prevent the development of rabies. If your neighbor can't provide proof of rabies vaccination, you may contact animal control and request that the dog be quarantined and observed to determine if it has rabies.

Contact a Personal Injury Attorney

The medical care required after a dog attack can be very expensive, especially if your child requires any kind of reconstructive surgery. You must also take into account any expenses that may be incurred if your child requires therapy to deal with the stress and trauma of the event. Your should not have to pay for these costs out of your own pocket; a personal injury lawyer (such as Gregory V Sharkey Attorney) will assist you in having these expenses paid for by your neighbor. You may feel uncomfortable filing a lawsuit against your neighbor, but in most cases his or her homeowners insurance  will cover the expenses associated with a dog attack, so you don't have to worry about your neighbor suffering severe financial hardship as a result of the lawsuit.

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