Dog Attack!

[3happydancers]

Does anyone know who's homeowners insurance one would use to claim reimbursement for lost wages, co-payments etc, when a person's dog scales your fence and attacks, causing injury? I thought the claim would be placed with the owner of the dog who did the attacking. A friend agued that I should be putting it through my insurance. I fear putting it through mine because as we all know, most times the insurance company is quick to raise your premiums and ours is already high enough.

 

[mandy14]

It is most definitely theirs. Take pictures and document everything. I would also call the police and file a complaint.

 

[clh2]

Does anyone know who's homeowners insurance one would use to claim reimbursement for lost wages, co-payments etc, when a person's dog scales your fence and attacks, causing injury? I thought the claim would be placed with the owner of the dog who did the attacking. A friend agued that I should be putting it through my insurance. I fear putting it through mine because as we all know, most times the insurance company is quick to raise your premiums and ours is already high enough.

I agree, the police should be called, if they haven't already. In my state, the dog might need to be quarantined, depending on the injuries that it caused you.

Did your healthcare provider include that this was an injury caused by someone else's pet? My guess is your insurance company will go after the other insurance company for payment of the claim. This in part sucks, as it may take a while before your provider will get paid.

I would contact your insurance company for advice. They may be able to give you advice on what the other homeowners insurance should pay out on.

 

[MomToOne]

I would call your agent. It might be easier to have them pay you, and have them fight to get reimbursement from the other insurance company. They tend to have more clought, one company to another. The other insurance company might try to low-ball you - not that yours won't necessarily do the same - but hopefully they will look out for you a bit more. Also, the LAST thing you want is for your insurance company to accuse you of trying to hide something like a dog bite from them - better to get it all on the record with them as it not being your dog, etc.

Another thing to consider is consulting a personal injury lawyer. They are not all ambulance chasers Depending on the severity of the injuries and/or how well the insurance companies are cooperating, there might not be anything they will/can do, but a consultation wouldn't hurt.

 

[patti226]

I'm a letter carrier and was bitten by a dog a few years ago. I had a lawyer and the dog owners home insurance paid

 

[3happydancers]

Thanks everyone.

I sustained a broken foot but luckily no bites. I was in my yard which is fenced, with my dog. The neighbor's dog scaled my fence and all heck broke out. I was not aware that the dog got over my fence until he was upon us. I was knocked to the ground, dd heard the commotion and came to my rescue (although she did put herself in harms way; she did not get hurt). It seems the neighbor's dog was only interested in attacking my dog but unfortunately, I did get injured. Now I am out of work for x weeks with no compensation there as I work per diem. My neighbor is willing to pay my wages but at first we did not know the extent of the damage. First set of x-rays did not show a break. Four days later, still in pain & swollen, I went to an orthopedist specialist. They took a second set of x-rays with additional angles which clearly showed the break. Now that I will be missing so much work, the neighbor is thinking we should go through the insurance as paying out of pocket for a lengthy amount of time could be financially draining for him.

The thing is, I really don't want the dog punished. He bolted from the house while the door was open. The owners are very kind neighbors and the dog has never bitten anyone. I did make a police report but did not press charges. Do you think going through the insurance company will cause a problem like putting the dog down?

 

[Woodmnky]

Thanks everyone.

I sustained a broken foot but luckily no bites. I was in my yard which is fenced, with my dog. The neighbor's dog scaled my fence and all heck broke out. I was not aware that the dog got over my fence until he was upon us. I was knocked to the ground, dd heard the commotion and came to my rescue (although she did put herself in harms way; she did not get hurt). It seems the neighbor's dog was only interested in attacking my dog but unfortunately, I did get injured. Now I am out of work for x weeks with no compensation there as I work per diem. My neighbor is willing to pay my wages but at first we did not know the extent of the damage. First set of x-rays did not show a break. Four days later, still in pain & swollen, I went to an orthopedist specialist. They took a second set of x-rays with additional angles which clearly showed the break. Now that I will be missing so much work, the neighbor is thinking we should go through the insurance as paying out of pocket for a lengthy amount of time could be financially draining for him.

The thing is, I really don't want the dog punished. He bolted from the house while the door was open. The owners are very kind neighbors and the dog has never bitten anyone. I did make a police report but did not press charges. Do you think going through the insurance company will cause a problem like putting the dog down?

It would be the police and/or animal control who would make the call to have the dog put down. Since you notified the police that decision is theirs to make and putting in a homeowners claim would have no effect.

I would ask your neighbors for their homeowners policy. If they are hesitant or do not provide it pretty quickly, send them a certified letter detailing the situation and requesting the info. Include all of your contact info in the letter so if they pass it on to their insurance the company will be able to reach you. If this doesn't get you the needed information or a call from the company you can follow up with the police department or a lawyer. Also get a copy of the police report as you will need it when a claim is filed. Each states laws are different, but these are general steps that should get you started.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

It would be the police and/or animal control who would make the call to have the dog put down. Since you notified the police that decision is theirs to make and putting in a homeowners claim would have no effect.

I would ask your neighbors for their homeowners policy. If they are hesitant or do not provide it pretty quickly, send them a certified letter detailing the situation and requesting the info. Include all of your contact info in the letter so if they pass it on to their insurance the company will be able to reach you. If this doesn't get you the needed information or a call from the company you can follow up with the police department or a lawyer. Also get a copy of the police report as you will need it when a claim is filed. Each states laws are different, but these are general steps that should get you started.

But the neighbors HO policy may threaten to drop them if they don't get rid of the dog.

 

[supersnoop]

But the neighbors HO policy may threaten to drop them if they don't get rid of the dog.

Actions have consequences.

If the OP wants to be compensated for damages, they'll have to go after the neighbor. In this case, the homeowners insurance would try to settle any claims before they turn into a potentially much more expensive lawsuit.

 

[3happydancers]

But the neighbors HO policy may threaten to drop them if they don't get rid of the dog.

I was afraid of this and was hoping to avoid them having to get rid of and/or putting the dog down.

Actions have consequences.

If the OP wants to be compensated for damages, they'll have to go after the neighbor. In this case, the homeowners insurance would try to settle any claims before they turn into a potentially much more expensive lawsuit.

You are right about actions have consequences. Ultimately, the dog was never trained, hence a big part of the dog's behavior problem. To date, the dog has never bitten a human. I guess that is why I'd like to give my neighbor's a chance to be responsible owners. They have contacted a trainer who is coming to evaluate the dog.

 

[megsoro]

As bad as this sounds, I'd also consider your quality of life with these neighbors. If you go through insurance, and they're forced to get ride of their dog, will they hold it against you? If he's to be put down, will you be their dogs "killer"? I watched two neighbors go through this- no bite, but a boy ended up with a broken arm when knocked off his bike by a neighbors dog. Insurance seemed the dog unsafe, dog was rehomed. For the past six years those neighbors have not got along, and seem to bicker at every turn. (Really bad for a small town, their boys are in the same grade)

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I wouldn't disclose the dog fight. Your neighbor's dog got loose and you were injured while attempting to capture it. Not "really" a lie.

 

[wiigirl]

It is most definitely theirs. Take pictures and document everything. I would also call the police and file a complaint.

This

 

[MomToOne]

The neighbor is right, you need to go through the insurance. He clearly is looking at the situation realistically and handling it properly. I am sure he is aware of the consequences of going through his insurance and the possibility that they may demand something be done by the dog, but it is the correct way to deal with the situation. The claim should be through his insurance - I THINK (I'm a little unclear on the exact details here - it sounds like because the dog didn't actually attack you, your foot was maybe just "collateral damage" and you don't say if he actually did any injuries to your dog - I'm not sure where the line is draw on things like this with insurance). You need to notify your insurance company of the incident no matter what, though.

You should not lie about trying to "catch" a dog though, or try to make the incident into something other than what it was. You should be completely clear and truthful about everything that did and didn't happen. You do not want to be caught in insurance fraud. (Also, saying you were trying to catch a dog might shift the burden to your insurance since that makes it sounds like the dog was not a threat.)

While it would be sad to have to rehome the dog, or deal with higher insurance rates/insurance cancellation, that's a choice the neighbor made when taking the dog in in the first place and not properly training and/or restraining him. It's just one of those things in life that as adults we make choices on, and we get to live with the consequences on. As I often say, "It sucks to be an adult". But we deal with it, hopefully learn a little in the process, and move on.

 

[wuzzles]

A friend argued that I should be putting it through my insurance.

Is the friend arguing it should go through your insurance the neighbor who owns the dog?

 

[okeydokey]

The claim should be on their homeowners insurance, not yours. If you file a claim it could trigger a rate hike for you.

 

[southlakejr]

The thing is, I really don't want the dog punished. He bolted from the house while the door was open. The owners are very kind neighbors and the dog has never bitten anyone. I did make a police report but did not press charges. Do you think going through the insurance company will cause a problem like putting the dog down?

Nope. I was bitten by a neighbor's dog and they did not have to put it down. Dog bites are automatically reported to police and Animal Control, so they were involved. Unless the incident involves a bite, the chances of a dog being put down are next to nothing. Even if it is a bite, it usually has to be either a serious injury, a repeat incident, or considered completely unprovoked, especially with children. (at least from what I was told about my incident) Generally, a dog is put down if it is considered a danger to people.

The insurance company could possibly ask the homeowner to get rid of the dog, but I don't think that is excessively likely- especially if the homeowner is willing to get documented training for the dog.

Good luck and get better soon!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Sorry about your foot but why can't you work?
Are you unable to drive? Perhaps you can get a ride.
I could easily work with a broken foot. My mom has been in a walking boot cast twice for stress fractures, she didn't take any time off.

 

[bedogged]

Sorry about your foot but why can't you work?
Are you unable to drive? Perhaps you can get a ride.
I could easily work with a broken foot. My mom has been in a walking boot cast twice for stress fractures, she didn't take any time off.

Once upon a time, I thought the same thing. They just slap a cast on and away you go. That was until I slipped and fell and broke my leg and ankle. I was so ill, my potassium plummeted and I almost died. You never can tell. There are a lot of factors such as age and physical condition.

 

[a742246]

I would go the insurance route. The dog didn't bite anyone, so I would also say there is zero chance they would have to get rid of the dog.

What might happen is after the insurance company pays out the claim, they will not renew the owners home insurance again. So worse that can happen is the other person will have to find another insurance company.