The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents and the U.S. Postal Service recently compiled a startling array of statistics about dog attacks. Here are some of the results:

• There are approximately 5 million dog bites per year in the United States.
• More than 850,000 of these bites require emergency medical treatment.
• Mail carriers with the U.S. Postal Service suffer about 3,000 bites each year.
• The number of dog bites requiring medical attention has increased 15 times faster than the increase in dog ownership.

Victims of dog bites can sustain painful and life-altering injuries, including deep skin wounds, loss of fingers, infections and scarring. Dogs that are prone to attack are a liability and the owners need to be held responsible for them.

Children Most Likely Victims

Children are the most likely to become the victims of serious dog attacks for several reasons. They are boisterous, loud and make unpredictable movements that can scare dogs. And what a child might see as an expression of love - a simple hug- can be an explicit threat to the animal.

Most Vicious Breeds

In a recent study of 154 fatal dog attacks, five breeds accounted for two-thirds of those attacks. Those breeds, in order of the most fatalities, are: Pit Bull, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Husky, Alaskan Malamute. Pit Bulls were responsible for twice as many fatal attacks as any other breed and over half of all the fatal attacks.

Oklahoma Law

In Oklahoma, a victim of a dog attack does not have to prove that the dog was known to be vicious or had bitten before. The dog does not get a free bite. The first bite is enough to support liability. Under Oklahoma law, all the Plaintiff (injured person) must prove to recover for a dog bite injury, is:

• The defendant owned the dog
• The dog bit the Plaintiff
• The Plaintiff was lawfully on the premises where the bite took place
• The bite caused the Plaintiff injuries.

Most Important

One of the most important things to do after a dog attack is to secure evidence as quickly as possible. Evidence you should seek to immediately obtain is the identity of the dog and its owner, photographs of the dog, names of witnesses, witness statements, and photographs of the injuries and the location of the attack.

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries from a dog bite or animal attack, contact me today for a free consultation. I will use my experience, knowledge and resources to achieve the best possible results for you and your family.