This case involved a personal injury claim that arose from a dog bite. We were able to obtain a favorable settlement for a young girl who was bitten on her chin by a small dog.
Summary of the Dog Bite & Injuries
On an early fall day in September an 11 year old girl accompanied her mother on a visit to a family friend’s home in Millis, Massachusetts. This family friend had a small chiwawa dog. Naturally, the 11 year old girl was attracted to the small dog and began to pet it while sitting on the floor. Without warning, the dog suddenly bit the little girl twice on her face. One bite was right under the chin and the second bite was just below the left cheek area. The mother and friend jumped up immediately and intervened. The little girl was bleeding and crying.
Soon after the bite, the mother brought the little girl to the emergency room in Milford, Massachusetts. At the emergency room, the doctors cleaned the wounds and prescribed antibiotics. Within the next few days the mother brought her daughter to their pediatrician because the little girl had a fever and the wounds were getting red and swollen. The pediatrician sent the little girl to a plastic surgeon in Boston, MA to treat the wounds. The surgeon determined that the wound under the little girl’s chin was infected. He used local anesthesia in order to clean and irrigate the dog bite. Once the bite wound was irrigated, the surgeon then packed the wound and closed it with sutures.
The 11 year old girl made a great recovery and the bite under her chin left a small scar of approximately 1.5 centimeters (just over ½ inch).
The Legal Action Taken
Of course, the mother was very concerned about her little girl and did what any loving mother would do and brought her child to the emergency room right away. The family followed all of the doctor’s advice and orders. Around the time the little girl started to make a great recovery, the medical bills started to come in the mail. Slowly, one by one, the mother received bills from the emergency room, the pediatrician, and the surgeon. Additionally, there were a number of co-pays for the hospital visits, doctor visits and the medications that were prescribed. While the medical bills of just under $5,000 were relatively low in comparison to other personal injury cases, $5,000 is still a lot of money.
When this mother started to receive the medical bills she wasn't sure what to do. She contacted Mahaney & Pappas, LLP to get a free evaluation and answers to the many questions she had. We went to their home in Millis, MA to meet the family and little girl and review the case and injuries. We explained the process of a dog bite case in Massachusetts and how we could help recover compensation for the medical bills, the little girl’s pain and suffering as well as the small scar that was left. With all personal injury cases, we took this case on a contingent fee basis and began our work.
We determined who the insurance company was that provided coverage for this dog bite and put them on notice of the injury. We then worked closely with the girl’s family to locate each and every medical office and doctor that provided treatment to the girl so that we could obtain the medical records and bills. We used one of the many experts we typically use for scar related injuries in order to substantiate the claim for scarring. Once we had all of the necessary documents in order, we prepared a served a demand for settlement on the insurance company.
Shortly after serving the demand on the insurance company, we negotiated hard for this family and were able to obtain a $35,000 settlement, which was more than seven times the amount of the medical bills. The settlement included compensation for the medical bills, pain and suffering and the resulting scar. The girl’s family was very happy with our work and the settlement the young girl received.
Bitten by a Dog? Speak With an Experienced Dog Bite Attorney Today
If you or someone you know has been attacked or bitten by a dog you should contact an experienced Massachusetts personal injury lawyer. The attorneys at Mahaney & Pappas, LLP have handled numerous dog bite cases and are here to help you recover the money you deserve.
Call us today at 508-879-3500 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation. We offer contingent fees on dog bite cases, which means we don’t get paid until and unless you recover compensation.
