Millions of people are bitten by dogs every year. Even though this injury is fairly common, many people aren’t sure what to do if they’ve been bitten by a dog. Knowing what to do can help prevent turning a minor injury into a major one or a major injury into a catastrophic injury. To help you prepare for this situation, the Las Vegas dog bite lawyers from ER Injury Attorneys offer eight steps to take after you’ve been bitten by a dog.
Eight Steps to Take after Being Bitten by a Dog
Many people are unprepared for dog bite situations because they think of them in terms of, “This will never happen to me.” That’s all well and good, until it happens to you. Our dog bite attorneys have represented clients that could have suffered fewer or less severe injuries had they known the steps to take after being bitten by a dog. To help keep yourself and your family safe in the event of a dog bite, our team recommends:
- Moving to a safe place: if possible, move to a safe place to avoid exacerbating your injury or acquiring new ones.
- Assessing your dog bite: check the severity of the wound to see if you need immediate treatment or if it’s something you can take care of at home. If you are unsure, err on the side of caution and seek medical care immediately.
- Cleaning the wound: clean the wound as soon as possible. Use mild soap and water if possible, in order to avoid further irritation. If water is all you have access to at the time then rinse thoroughly.
- Applying pressure: if your wound is bleeding, apply pressure with a clean cloth. If you have sterile gauze in your car’s first aid kit or your home bathroom, that works even better.
- Applying antibiotic ointment: after your wound has been cleaned, apply some antibiotic ointment in order to prevent infection.
- Exchanging information with the dog owner: if the dog’s owner is present then you should get their information. If their reckless or negligent behavior led to your dog bite then they may be liable for damages. If the dog’s owner is not present then contact animal control.
- Seeing a medical professional: even if the dog bite itself isn’t severe, it can still lead to serious diseases such as rabies or tetanus. Your primary care provider can examine you and test for these diseases.
- Contacting a Las Vegas dog bite attorney: when people are bitten by a dog, they often focus on recovering from their injury. They rarely think about the insurance company cheating them out of money. The Las Vegas personal injury attorneys can take care of all your legal matters and make sure you get the settlement that you deserve while you recover from your dog bite.
Contact a Las Vegas Dog Bite Lawyer
National Dog Bite Prevention Week takes place from April 9-15, 2023. And while the staff at ER Injury Attorneys hopes that dog owners do everything possible to make sure that their pets do not harm others, we also understand that does not happen 100% of the time. Should you or a member of your family get attacked by a dog and suffer a dog bite then contact us for immediate legal assistance.
ER Injury Attorneys represents injury victims throughout southern Nevada, including Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin, Pahrump, Boulder City, Laughlin, and beyond. You can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone at 702-878-7878 or online through LiveChat or secure contact form to begin your free, no obligation consultation. With a proven track record of winning outstanding settlements for our clients while treating them with unmatched customer service, ER Injury Attorneys is the one call you should make after a dog bite.