# Dog Bite and Homeowners



## gvalenti (Feb 3, 2014)

Hey all! My lovely awesome (aggressive ?) GSD bit the cable guy in my house. Barely broke skin but it doesn’t matter... anyway all records were provided but he followed company policy and now they’re asking me to pay the $3500 hospital bill. 

I went to a lawyer to ask if it would be possible to try and settle for less or get out of it all together. His advice was to go through homeowners. 

I’m terrified of being dropped or my rates going up a ton or not finding new coverage. Did anyone deal with this?? 

Would it benefit me to pay the $3500 now vs what I might pay over time?

I’m in NJ. Any advice? I’m sick and losing sleep over this. Incident was 7/2016


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

$3500!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and it barely broke the skin? That is awfully steep. You could find out why the hospital charges were so high, too.


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## gvalenti (Feb 3, 2014)

They gave me an itemized list. Of course it only shows what the charges were but can’t say why because of hippa... I’m sure he got a tetanus shot and antibiotics and then a follow up. The price is outrageous. Which is why I’m so sick over it


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

While I agree the price is high (as most/all medical bills end up being), I would count myself lucky that they aren’t coming after you for more. We live in a sue-happy society, and given all the bad that can come from a dog bite, I’d just pay it and move on. Perhaps take precautions with your dog in the future when workers are around. Crates are wonderful for preventing these kinds of things.


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## andywhite (Dec 18, 2017)

I just got tetanus + I'm doing full course of anti-rabbies.

I'm from Europe, living in Asia. So this is not even my country, and I'm being charged like 3x more. And bill was* $90*. Tetanus, all future anti-rabbies shots, consultation...everything included. $90.

$3500 bill for a bite? Like ***REMOVED BY MODERATOR***. Did it included heart transplant or something? :grin2:


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

If you go to an emergency room in the U.S., it is VERY expensive. Most Americans don't realize how much hospital care costs as long as they have insurance paying the bill -- the cost _is _outrageous, but it's not the cable guy's fault. It's just what they charge. Getting out of there for under a few thousand dollars is pretty rare. It would have been nice for him to go instead to an urgent care center at a much lower cost, but he was free to choose higher level care at the hospital ER, where the rates are much higher.

If you get dropped by your HO carrier, it may be tough to get a new policy. Other carriers would also know about this claim (there's a national claim database shared by insurers, so as soon as they punch in the property address, it will pop up in the history). So you will likely not be able to find a carrier willing to cover your dog with a bite history. At best, the dog may be excluded from future policies, and you'll have to purchase (very expensive) separate dog-bite insurance.

An acquaintance who had something like this happen got a demand for $45,000 for pain and suffering and a demand that she destroy the dog. So she's having to fight it. Her dog was already excluded from her insurance policy, they didn't have a separate policy because she thought this dog would never bite, and well....it's a lot of money. So keep that in mind when you are paying the $3,500 -- it could be so much worse!

If you pay out of pocket, ask the lawyer you consulted if it would be possible for him to arrange to get a signed release from both the company and the guy who was bitten, in exchange for the payment.

Did they report it to Animal Control? If so, there's possibly more to come with dangerous dog hearings.


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## gvalenti (Feb 3, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your input!

It was reported to animal control. They had me quarantine the dog for 2 weeks and did a home inspection. Do you think there will still be more since I haven’t heard anything in almost 2 years?


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

If that much time has gone by, I doubt you'll hear from A/C. They tend to move within a month or two, when they want to move. It varies by town whether they take any action on bites. It does means your dog has a "record" with A/C though -- a second bite is VERY likely to trigger a hearing (and those hearings are no joke). If your lawyer does a lot of dog bite work, he should know local practices on that.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I doubt that your lawyer works for free. I would suck it up and pay the 3500 and consider it an expensive lesson learned. You could end up with more lawyer costs and stil have to pay the 3500 amount on top of that + it can cost you your HO Insurance.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Magwart said:


> If you go to an emergency room in the U.S., it is VERY expensive. Most Americans don't realize how much hospital care costs as long as they have insurance paying the bill -- the cost _is _outrageous, but it's not the cable guy's fault. It's just what they charge. Getting out of there for under a few thousand dollars is pretty rare. It would have been nice for him to go instead to an urgent care center at a much lower cost, but he was free to choose higher level care at the hospital ER, where the rates are much higher.


Just wanted to point out that since he was bitten on the job, it's likely that the choice of where to go wouldn't have been up to him. You report it to your supervisor and they tell you where the worker's comp insurance wants you to go for treatment. 

That's also why the cost is likely to be higher - you have to pay a bit more for their insurance and coverage as well as likely a corporate lawyer consult between company, insurance, and attorney.
$3500 is a bargain in the long run. See about splitting it into a couple payments if necessary and definitely get a letter drawn up that once you have paid off, you are clear from any further charges.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

that also explains the gap between the incident and the letter seeking reimbursement. It averages about 2 years from the date of last medical treatment for an on-the-job injury to close of case. Once the insurance closes the case they contact seeking to get money from the responsible party. So remember that you won't be seeking a settlement from the injured man or from his employer but from the insurance company and their attorneys.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

I was in a forest fire the ER charged me $1500.00+ just to put an oxygen sensor on my finger and a bandaid on my leg, and I used to work there.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Don't pay or agree to anything until you have a signed release or legal document holding you harmless from any further damages. A lawyer should have told you that. Might be why he said go to your homeowners policy. That is what your homeowners policy does, it protects you. I don't even carry dogs on mine. Keeps lawyers away, no easy money, they have to take you to court, costs to much. 

Did you read your homeowners policy to see if dogs were included? 

If you were getting sued the first thing the opposing lawyer asks for is a copy of your homeowners policy. That is who they will go after, easy money no litigation.

Looks like so far in your case the company wants to be reimbursed for the medical bills. That is a common thing. just make sure it ends and no further actions can be brought against you.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

$3500 is crazy unless there was surgery, or in hospital care, involved. I had a really bad, full canine tooth bite, and even with having to go to a wound specialist the total for medical care was about $400.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Jax08 said:


> $3500 is crazy unless there was surgery, or in hospital care, involved. I had a really bad, full canine tooth bite, and even with having to go to a wound specialist the total for medical care was about $400.


Just walking into my local ER is $900. That is just the hospital charge, doesn't cover the fee for the doctor (around $700), any exam or medical supplies used or any medication. Plus, with an on-the-job injury you are going to be reimbursing the insurance company, not just paying the medical bills and they will frequently add administrative costs onto the final bill.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

I got bitten by an injured dog- full depth on the calf- and went to the local ER. Four full depth punctures, pretty nasty looking and very painful.

Bill was $350. 

I didn't need surgery or specialists but it was a real bite. No blame on the dog, he had gotten caught up in some driftwood and debris in a fast-moving creek and was drowning, and out-of-his-mind panicking. I'd do the same thing again without a thought, to save a dog's life. 

I don't know details of this case, but the $3500 bill, to me, reeks of some sort of fraud. The bill is ten times what I was charged. Unless there is more to the story.


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## gvalenti (Feb 3, 2014)

That is probably what you paid your insurance. Not the full hospital bill. That is the issue =\


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

You're in NJ? Don't pay the bill, talk to an attorney. There are all kinds of implications if you pay it, including admitting culpability, I believe you are past statute for personal injury, however can affect future home owner rates. Call you HOI and ask if this is something their staff counsel can look at.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

One additional wrinkle: read your HO policy carefully. It may create a duty to report even if you don't make a claim. I *think* you might also impliedly make a representation that the risk hasn't changed upon renewal, if you don't tell them about changes. Upon renewal, not reporting the fact that you have a dog with a bite history could be concealing a material fact relevant to underwriting. That could create a risk of rescission, if your state allows it. 

Rescission is a bad, bad deal, in the states where it's allowed. It can mean the insurance company voiding your policy retroactively such that you'd have no coverage. In some states, it even could mean if your house burns down, unrelated to the dog, and they find out you concealed a dog with a bite history, then they use that to trigger policy rescission and not pay for the fire because they wouldn't have insured you in the first place, if they'd known the true facts. 

Again, this is an issue to talk with about with a lawyer that knows insurance law. It varies enormously state, and you want to comply exactly with your duty as an insured in your state -- whatever that duty is.


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

What Magwart said.I am in NJ, and work directly in that world. Call HOI. If you PM to me which insurance company I may be able to direct you.


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## Nurse Bishop (Nov 20, 2016)

Just wondering--How did the entanglement with the cable guy happen?


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## Ruger Monster (Jan 29, 2015)

car2ner said:


> $3500!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and it barely broke the skin? That is awfully steep. You could find out why the hospital charges were so high, too.


Wow that is steep! 

Ruger bit a coworker about a month ago. Luckily they realized that startling a sleeping dog, then cornering him while he growled & putting their hands near his mouth wasn't a great course of action and didn't ask for anything / sue. DHEC had to come do a visual inspection of the dog, then again 2 weeks later, to make sure he was not ill or showed signs of rabies (all vet records were up to date). He needed 5 stitches in his finger/hand where he yanked it from Ruger's mouth. Never saw Ruger get like that to anyone, but he always was leery of that coworker and would never go near him.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Ruger Monster said:


> Wow that is steep!
> 
> Ruger bit a coworker about a month ago.


You might not be totally out of the woods, unless they signed a release. If you haven't consulted a lawyer, you might want to. Check out how long your state's statute of limitations is. Sometimes people wait to sue until the very end of it -- as much as 3 years later in some states.

You're in the same boat about potentially having to report it to your insurer, even if you don't make a claim -- see my post above -- if your policy/state law require it.

That person I know who got the suit asking for $45,000 and destruction of her dog was sued by a neighbor they thought they had a great relationship with...the week before the statute of limitations expired (which was a year where they happen to live). The bite wasn't even enough for a hospital visit -- totally superficial, one tooth dragging the surface. Once they talked to a lawyer and realized they might get some money, all the neighborliness disappeared.


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