Mistakes and Misconceptions in Virginia Dog Bite Injury Cases

The following is information on the various mistakes and misconceptions you should avoid in order to put forth the strongest injury claim possible. To learn more or discuss the specifics of your case, call and schedule a consultation with a Virginia dog bite injury lawyer today.

An injury attorney can guide you through the claims process and help you avoid the various pitfalls and obstacles such as those below. Additionally, an attorney can assist you in compiling evidence and

Common Misconceptions in Dog Bite Injury Cases

The first common misconception people have regarding dog bite injury claims is that if you are bitten by a Rottweiler or a Pitbull then you are automatically going to win your case. While this is closer to the truth in Maryland where they have specific breed statutes, in Virginia, this is a huge misconception.

One other common misconception is that the plaintiff must have done something to deserve it. This is a misconception, however, because sometimes dogs who have been docile and very obedient for 8 years or 10 years all of a sudden snap. They have never attacked someone before and they do and catastrophic injuries result. It is not always the case that a dog needs to be provoked in order to bite or injure someone.

Biggest Mistakes People Make in VA Dog Bite Injury Cases

One of the most common mistakes is to not call an attorney until late in the process. People will sometimes wait and finally decide to call a lawyer after they’ve been getting collection calls from their medical bills and the statute of limitations has almost run. That’s a huge problem in Virginia. There is a 2 year statute of limitations so you might have already missed the opportunity to file. Even if you want to wait 6 or 8 months, the cause or relation of the injury is going to be important to show, especially if there are pre-existing conditions. It just makes causation much more difficult to prove.If you sustain an injury to an area where you have pre-existing conditions, the sooner you can document the specific causation of your current injuries the better. For instance, if you have carpal tunnel and a dog bites your hand, some of the limited mobility might be due to the carpal tunnel but some might be due to the dog bite. The sooner that you get medical care the easier it will be for a doctor to determine what was caused by your dog bite injury, and the sooner an attorney can start trying to build up your case. Delay in seeking treatment is a huge thing.

Also some people, for whatever reason, don’t want medical care for a dog bite. Even though all dogs need to have rabies shots that doesn’t mean that the risk is completely gone. Some owners don’t get their dogs vaccinated. Dogs can carry other diseases too. Dog bites can be prone to infection so seeking medical care, no matter how small the injury appears, is definitely something that you want to do. Seeking medical care promptly is a big thing that needs to be done.

In addition to these two mistakes, another big mistake people make is withholding information or facts from your attorney that are relevant to the case. Dog bite cases are hard enough as it is, which means the attorney needs to have access to as much information as possible. Withholding information about what you are doing before it happened, who was there, or any other pertinent information, is only going to hurt your case.

Why Do You Think People Withhold Some of That Information?

In some cases, information can be embarrassing or the victim may not want to involve someone else in the lawsuit. Additionally, often times witnesses to personal injury cases are undocumented aliens, and it is an understandable fear that if you talk with a lawyer or if you show up in court to testify, the authorities might come after you.

How An Attorney Can Help You Avoid These Mistakes

Contacting an attorney as soon as you are injured allows the attorney to begin compiling evidence and questioning witnesses. An attorney will also be able to advise you on the information necessary to strengthen your claim and help you avoid doing anything which could hinder your case. To learn more, call and schedule a consultation today.