I find it rather ironic that yesterday, in the middle of
National Dog Bite Prevention Week, I was attacked by three large dogs near the
end of a long bike ride. Fortunately for
me, I found a strong gear and a lot of adrenaline and managed to outrun the
growling attackers before they could get their greedy fangs in me. When I was safely away, I was shaking with
fear. Once I settled down a bit the fear
was replaced by anger. I have no doubt
that if I had been bitten that my anger would have spilled over into a legal claim
against the dog owners who allowed their animals to roam the road, threatening
those who used it.
The number of dog bite claims and the costs of those claims
are on the rise all across the country.
The number of claims filed jumped 16% in 2011 over 2010, following an
increase of 48% since 2003. The Insurance Information Institute says that in
2011 dog bite claims totaled $479 million in the US with a total of 16,292
claims filed. That’s nearly half a
billion dollars! Wow! Of course we love to joke about dogs and
mailman but the reality is bad and getting worse. The Postal Service reports that nationwide
there were more than 5500 postal workers attacked in 1400 cities in 2011. These attacks cost the US Postal Service
close to $1.2 million last year. For a
government agency that is already losing money, this must be truly
frustrating. And do you know the last
thing most postal workers hear just before they are attacked by a dog? The answer:
don’t worry my dog won’t bite.
In response to the rising number of claims, the Postal
Service has published a list of the top 25
cities in the US for dog bite claims.
At the top of the list is Los Angeles, followed by San Diego. North Carolina only has one city on that
list, Charlotte, which came in at number 24, tied with Orlando.
With high levels of medical inflation piling up year after
year, the cost of paying for your dog’s attack on someone else has skyrocketed
over the past few years. So how will you
pay the bills if your dog bites someone?
Well, if you have purchased a standard NC homeowners policy, or even a
renter’s insurance policy, then you will have protection under the liability
section of your policy. Your medical
payments coverage, also a part of your NC
homeowners insurance policy will also be available to pay the medical costs
from the bite until the limit of coverage is exhausted. Right now, though, the NC homeowners
insurance market is in such a financial mess, that you will probably want to
make the effort to avoid the claim in the first place. More than likely, filing a large dog bite
claim will result in the nonrenewal of your policy or at the very least, risk a
huge rate increase for you at the next renewal. You may also face pressure to euthanize your
family pet.
So what can you do to help prevent a dog bite claim caused
by one of your much loved pets? Start
with the understanding that any dog has the potential to bite someone. You don’t want to be one more person telling
your mailman that your dog doesn’t bite, just before an attack happens. Instead, you should spend time socializing
your dog so that it understands how to act with other people and other dogs. You will have more success if you start this
process when your dog is young. Always discourage
children from disturbing a dog that is eating or sleeping. Don’t expose your dog to new situations if
you are unsure of your dog’s response to that situation. Never approach a strange dog and always avoid
eye contact with a dog that appears threatening.
At Clinard
Insurance Group, we want all insurance consumers to be informed buyers. We insure thousands of families and
businesses all across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and
Virginia. If you would like personal, one on one help
with any of your insurance needs, from home and auto
insurance to life
insurance or business
insurance, please call us, toll free at 877-687-7557.
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