What should I do if I get injured or bitten by a dog?

I walked into the yard and there were two vicious dogs chained 2 feet from door. One had broken chain and before I realized it the dog attacked me. It made a hamburger of my lower right leg. No one heard me screaming as the dog continued to bite me several time. I immediately went to emergency room. Instead of calling 911, they waited till they could start their van (which would not start on several attempts) so I was bleeding out for ten minutes. Upon arrival at the hospital, I learned that I was punctured 16 times (5 straight to bone), exposed, broke an artery and fractured my tubular bone. I received 2 surgeries in my 7 day stay at the hospital. I returned home with a home health nurse. They claimed that they do not have insurance. I have more surgery to come. Any thoughts? I need advice on how to go about this. They are trying to return the dog home. I am the 5th person to be attacked. This is the county not city limits any lawyers or someone experienced in this kind of predicament?

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Answered By: Andrew T. Velonis, P.C.

The fact that others were attacked before you shows that the dog was known to be vicious. The fact that the chain was broken shows that the dog's owners failed to restrain it. Your question does not state why it was you were on their property, with two vicious dogs there, one of which was unchained. Assuming there is evidence for everything, you should be entitled to recover for your medical expenses, lost time from work and pain and suffering. But: collecting on that is a problem. If they have no insurance, then it is unlikely that they have the resources to compensate you.

Answer Applies to: New York
Replied: 9/21/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Answered By: Buttafuoco & Associates

You need to contact an experienced injury attorney who can evaluate all the facts and help determine your next best course of action.

Answer Applies to: New York
Replied: 9/20/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Answered By: Law Office of Jared Altman

I have tried dog bite cases and if you can show that the dog has bitten before then you probably have a great case. I say "probably" because there's a lot I don't know. You also have a severe injury so the case really interests me. I am concerned about the dog's owner saying that there wasn't insurance. This could be an issue but there are sometimes ways to work around that.

Answer Applies to: New York
Replied: 9/20/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.