Our attorneys seek justice for injury victims in the San Diego and Riverside areas.

Dog bites: Scarring can be a serious injury

On Behalf of | Sep 9, 2022 | Dog Bites

When someone is first bitten by a dog, their initial focus is on the severity of the injury. This is especially true for parents of young children, who are most likely to be involved in a fatal attack out of any age group. People are interested in getting medical care and starting the healing process.

But it’s important not to think that the only negative events that stem from a dog bite are the immediate injuries. Someone could get proper medical care right away and still wind up with significant scarring after the event. This can last for the rest of their lives, and it often leads to things like pediatric plastic surgery. It’s important to think about how this can have long-lasting effects on the quality of life of the victim.

How common is dog-bite scarring?

Scarring certainly doesn’t happen in every single case, but it’s very common. One study looked at unfavorable scarring as an outcome, and it found that this occurred in 67% of cases.

One thing that influences these types of stats is where the scars are located. The same amount of scarring may have a more drastic impact on someone’s life if it is in a highly-visible location, such as on their face, compared to if it was on their leg or their arm.

The risk to children

As noted above, children are often the ones who face the greatest risk. This is why some experts say that dog bite prevention programs should target children more than adults. This doesn’t mean that adults cannot be bitten, but simply that the ramifications of those bites tend to be a lot less severe.

Additionally, children often lack the strength to fend off the dog attack or the knowledge to spot warning signs in advance. They are simply the most vulnerable group, and they’re also the most likely to have unfavorable scarring.

What options do you have?

If you are a parent whose child has suffered from a serious dog bite injury, you certainly need to know all of your legal options to seek compensation from the dog’s owner.

Archives