Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: On the Anniversary of the Rabies Inoculation, Are We Safe From Dog BItes?

Copyright (c) 2010 James Parrish

On July 6, 1885, Louis Pasteur administered the
first successful rabies vaccination. At the time,
not a lot was known about rabies, but it was
expected that society would "outgrow" it.

Too bad that's not how it worked out.

Unfortunately, doctors nationwide have had to
administer millions of vaccines since then. The
inoculation for rabies may have come a long way
technologically, but it can still be very painful
and expensive.

The most common reason people get the vaccine is
that they've received a bite from a strange
animal. It's very important to report ANY bites
received from a strange animal and to seek
medical attention immediately. If the animal is
with another person, be sure to get that person's
contact information in case you or the Health
Department needs to contact them later.

Don't rule out a dog attack just because you're
familiar with an animal, either. Almost 50% of
attacking dogs belong to a friend or family
member of the victim.

No matter how well you supervise your children at
the park or how sturdy your neighbor's fence is,
you may not be able to prevent dog bites all the
time. So what do you do when it happens?

Aside from reporting the bite, seeking medical
attention, and getting the animal owner's contact
information, there may be other steps you want to
take. For truly serious bites, you may want to
consult an experienced attorney to try and
negotiate some sort of settlement before speaking
to an insurance adjuster.

Dog bite claims in Virginia can be tricky,
because so much will depend on where the bite
happened. Virginia as a whole is a "one-bite"
state, which means that the dog's owner may be
protected from liability, unless they have "known
dangerous propensity" of the dog, meaning they
know the dog has bitten someone before, etc. So
basically, if a dog attacks you, and has never
bitten anyone before, you may not be able to do
much about it.

BUT that's just for Virginia as a whole. You
could still show that the dog owner was negligent
in allowing the dog to bite.

For example, many counties and municipalities
have "leash laws," meaning that dog owners must
keep their animals on a leash, and can be
considered negligent if they aren't doing so.
Leash laws will differ by city, so you will want
to check with your local law enforcement.

Dog bites can be a tricky area of the law to deal
with in Virginia.

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James Parrish is a former insurance defense
lawyer who now represents injured persons against
the insurance industry. He uses the "Inside
Information" he learned while defending insurance
companies to the advantage of his clients, has
authored free guides on the subject, and has
recovered millions of dollars in judgments and
settlements for them.
http://www.thevirginiadogbitebook.com
http://accidents.theparrishlawfirm.com

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