Every year, an average of 4.5 million people in the United States are victims of dog bites. Dog bites are often times some of the most physically painful and emotionally traumatizing wounds that a victim could suffer.

While many people assume that dog bites are relatively minor injuries that result in little or no long-term health consequences, that assertion is factually incorrect. From sprains and breaks, to puncture wounds that can leave victims with scars or deformities, dog bites can be incredibly dangerous. In nearly a quarter of dog bite incidents, victims are left with more than a puncture wound.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), of the four million plus dog bites that occur annually, nearly 900,000 result in infection. Therefore, if you or a member of your family are a victim of a dog bite attack, contact a Lake County personal injury attorney today.

No matter how minor or serious injuries received are, a car accident is still an emotional experience. When the driver of the car is a family member or friend, it can make the whole ordeal more difficult than if the negligent driver was a stranger.

Understanding Your Priorities

Your first priority after a car accident, no matter who was at fault, is to make sure you get the medical care you need. Even if your injuries do not require immediate medical attention, you should still see a medical professional as soon as possible. It is not uncommon to have injuries where symptoms do not appear until a day or two after the accident.

As explained in a previous post, victims of motor vehicle accidents can file claims for both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include lost wages and medical expenses, while non-economic damages involve the pain and suffering the victim has had to live with since being injured in the accident.

Pain and suffering is not only the physical pain a car accident victim endures from their injuries, but can also include the psychological and emotional pain the victim is struggling with. This can include symptoms such as anxiety, depression, fear, and insomnia.

It is very unlikely a victim could receive pain and suffering damages if they have not sought any medical treatment. This is why it is important to see a medical professional immediately after an auto accident. Victims should also keep a log documenting their symptoms, as well as any medical treatment they receive.

Once fault has been determined in a car accident, victims can move forward to recover damages against the negligent party. The point of awarding damages to the victim is to “make the victim whole” again, or as close as the victim was before they were injured. Victims can be compensated for both economic damages and non-economic damages.

Economic damages include items like medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages include emotional distress and pain and suffering. Non-economic damages can also be awarded for the wrongful death of a family’s loved one.

In order to recover money for economic damages, a person needs to keep succinct records of the funds they have lost or bills they have incurred.

One of the first questions that needs to be answered after an auto accident is whose fault was it? This is especially true if there were injuries incurred by any of the drivers and/or passengers in the vehicles at the time of the incident. The driver who is determined at fault is the one who is legally responsible for any of the accident victims’ injuries and/or property damage.

Once accident claims have been filed with the insurance company, an adjuster will make the determination of who is at fault. There are several ways he or she will do this. One of the most important pieces of evidence the adjuster will examine is the police report. This report can provide valuable information in what caused the accident, including whether or not any parties received citations or were arrested at the scene. It is also not unusual for the officer filling out the report to state who they think was at fault and why.

Another thing the adjuster will look at in determining fault is what type of accident it was. For example, in the majority of rear end collisions, it is the rear driver who is at fault. The school of thought is that even if the first driver braked suddenly, the other driver was following the vehicle too closely, causing the collision.