Hiawatha Dog Bite Injury Attorneys

In the event of a dog-related injury, dog bite injury attorneys offer essential support to the victims. Their expertise in animal law allows them to adeptly handle the complexities of liability and compensation, aiming for justice and assistance for those harmed.

When a Child Suffers PTSD After a Dog Bite Attack in Iowa

Your child's dog bite attack in Iowa can include lifelong financial, physical, and emotional costs. You should contact your Iowa dog bite attorney to be compensated for your present and future expenses from your child's injuries and damages from a dog bite attack.

Injuries and Damage After a Dog Bite Attack in Iowa

A dog attack can result in:

- Torn clothing
- Bloody clothing
- Scratches
- Bruises
- Deep cuts
- Puncture wounds
- Loss of tissue
- Loss of limbs
- Broken bones
- Crushed bones
- Disfigurement

These physical injuries and damage can be devastating and extremely painful to your child. After your child's serious dog bite attack, you may rush your child to the hospital to get medical treatment. What you may not be aware of is that there's more than what meets the eye after your child's dog bite attack.

After you get your child medical help, you should contact your Iowa dog bite attorney to be compensated for present and future expenses from your child's incident of a dog bite attack in Iowa.

If your child suffers serious physical injuries from a dog bite attack, serious surgeries, medications, and therapy may be necessary in treating your child's injuries from his/her dog bite attack. These treatments can be costly and time-consuming, considering you may have to miss work for your child's surgery and post-surgery care.

Emotional distress may also play a role in your child's and family's life after a dog bite attack. Emotional distress may require medications and psychological therapy to calm your child from his or her persisting fears from a dog bite attack. It could also be disheartening for you and your family to see your child go through these treatments and suffer post effects of his/her dog bite attack, which could cause relationship problems and the ability to concentrate.

Dog Safety for Kids in Iowa

While dogs make for great companions or members of the family, dogs can be dangerous, even when unprovoked. For parents, teaching dog safety for kids – especially around dogs they don’t know – can be essential to keeping them safe and protected. The following provides some tips for child safety around dogs that all parents should teach.

Be Calm Around Dogs

One of the first things that parents should teach in dog safety for kids is that dogs, much like humans, don’t always respond well to stress. A stressful environment can include one where children are yelling, jumping, yanking a dog’s tail, or otherwise being overly rowdy. Encourage children to approach dogs while using an inside voice, and to always be gentle with a pooch.

Leave Sleeping and Eating Dogs Alone

Here’s another lesson in dog safety for kids. No one – including canines – enjoys being disturbed while enjoying a good meal or nap. When dogs are bothered or interrupted during eating or sleeping, they’re much more likely to be aggressive. As such, remind children that they should never approach a dog that’s distracted with something else. Instead, let the dog finish whatever it’s doing before approaching.

Ask the Dog’s Owner Before Petting

Children, especially those that love animals, are often tempted to approach strange dogs and pet them. However, approaching an unknown animal can be dangerous for a child, as the dog may feel threatened, increasing its likelihood of attacking. However, your child doesn’t have to avoid animals altogether. A good policy in dog safety for kids is to teach your child that they should always first ask a dog’s owner whether or not they can touch the dog. If the dog owner says “yes,” then the child can proceed.

How to Pet Nicely

Children don’t always know how to pet a dog appropriately, and may try to hug the dog, kiss the dog, or yank at its fur or tail. Unfortunately, a dog may view these actions as an attack, and may respond aggressively as a result. To prevent an aggressive reaction from a dog, you should teach your children how to pet nicely. The best place to scratch a dog is the chest or the side of the neck, but the top of the head should be avoided for unfamiliar animals.

Avoid Eye Contact

Dogs often view direct eye contact as a threat. To reduce your child’s risk of being attacked by a dog, instruct them to never make direct eye contact with a dog, especially one that they don’t know well.

What to Do When Approached by an Unknown Dog

Finally, you should teach your children what to do when approached by an unknown dog. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children should remain completely still when a strange dog comes up to them or is near them. Additionally, children should never play with a dog without an adult nearby, and should always allow a dog to sniff them before touching the dog.

When playing, dogs are often rowdier than they intend to be, and it’s not uncommon for a child to be knocked down by a dog, either in play or in aggression. If your child is knocked down by a dog, make sure they know what to do. Instruct your child to roll into a ball and be as still as possible in the event that he or she is knocked down.

Some dogs are more tolerant of children than others. If you have a family dog that knows and loves your child, the chances of the dog attacking are low. However, your child should know that the way they act with your family dog is not the way that they should act with every dog. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommends always supervising the interaction between your children and your pets, as well as your children and other people’s pets.

If Your Child Has Been Bitten by a Dog

If your child has been bitten by a dog, you may be able to recover compensation in the form of a personal injury suit. The statute of limitations for pursuing a personal injury case in Iowa is two years from the date of injury, according to Iowa Code section 614.1(2).

 Can I Contract a Disease from a Dog Bite?

Yes, people who are bitten by a dog may contract diseases from the dog bite. Some of them can even be life-threatening. Rabies is the most well-known, but certain types of infections may become serious, too. Read on to find out which ones.

Possible Diseases from Dog Bites

Rabies: This is a disease that attacks the central nervous system and can result in death unless treated immediately. Symptoms of rabies include fever, headache, and muscle pains. As it progresses, the person can develop inflammation in the brain, suffer seizures, paralysis, and may even end up in a coma.

Staph Infection: Staph bacteria are not uncommon, and most people who carry the bacteria do not become infected. However, a dog attack or bite can puncture the tissue and allow the bacteria to enter deep into the body, causing infection. Symptoms may vary greatly, which is why medical attention is so important after any bite. Pain, fever, and severe headache are common symptoms.

Pasteurella Infection: Pasteurella multocida is another common bacterium that may cause infection after an animal or dog bite. It may cause pain and swelling in the area as well as joint infections.

Tetanus: This is an infection that affects the nervous system. It may cause muscle spasms and contractions such as in the jaw, e.g., lockjaw. Those who haven’t had a tetanus booster within a certain timeframe – many recommend every 10 years – like recent dog bite victims, may be encouraged by their doctors to get a tetanus shot.

Filing a Dog Bite Claim

If you’ve been bitten by a dog, see your doctor as soon as possible. When someone has been seriously or fatally injured after a dog bite, compensation may be available to cover damages.

A claim filed with help from a personal injury lawyer in Dubuque against a liable dog owner can address damages such as:

- Medical costs
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering

Those wishing to consult a personal injury lawyer in Dubuque can contact Walker, Billingsley & Bair to set up a consultation to discuss a dog attack and any damages suffered including medical bills, such as those to treat injury or disease from the dog bite (888) 435-9886.

When to Contact a Dog Bite Lawyer

For the complete list of things you should do if bitten by a dog you can request our FREE book, "Iowa Consumer's Guide to Dog Bites- Secrets to Not Get Bitten by Your Case" which is available to you with no risk or obligation by clicking here or by calling 641-792-3595. 

Why offer a Free Dog Bite Book?  Since 1997, I have been representing injured Iowans, including many dog bite victims from central Iowa and throughout the state.  I have heard too many horror stories about people making costly mistakes, causing them to lose thousands of dollars.  Before you talk to the insurance company you should know your rights and perhaps more importantly your responsibilities.   

If you need immediate assistance, contact us online or call us at (641) 792-3595. If you are not local to us, we will come to you.