Legal Question in Personal Injury in Rhode Island

Re: bitten in the face by a dog

Your finace is absolutely entitled to be compensated for the injury caused by the dog bite. You should first obtain information about the dog through the dog officer of the Town where the dog's owner lives. Be sure that the dog has recieved all required shots and vaccines. You should also find out if the dog officer has or will be taking the dog into custody for a proceeding to determine if the animal is a "vicious dog". In RI every dog generally gets only one bite which is usually followed by a legal proceeding to determine if the dog is a vicious dog. If the dog is determined to be vicious the owner must obtain a 100,000.00 insurance policy or the dog will be destroyed. Due to the fact that the bite was to the face it is good that he will be seeing a plastic surgeon to treat the injury. You may want to contact Dr. Curtis Perry I believe he is one of the best plastic surgeons in RI. You should also consider hiring an attorney because obtaining compensation in a dog bite case as well as the valuation of a permanent injury such as a facial scar is a difficult process. Do not believe that any insurance company will offer an adequate amount of compensation, their goal is to buy the case for as little as possible. My firm has handled several dog bite cases and generally the first response of the homeowners insurance company is that there is no coverage for dog bites, this issue will have to be dealt with early on. You should not be in a rush to settle, it usually takes 6-8 months before a scar reaches an end point of healing. In the State of RI you have three years before you have to file suit if that becomes necessary. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me by phone or E-mail.

Re: bitten in the face by a dog

The first and most important thing your boyfriend should do right now is to receive proper medical attention so that his wound will heal and minimize scarring.

The next thing he should do is contact a RI attorney to file a claim w/the homeowner's insurance carrier. If he contacts the insurance company on his own, they will attempt to minimize his injury and other losses and offer a very small amount of compensation.

Given the facts you relayed, under RI law he is entitled to compensation for medical and other expenses incurred, lost wages and/or lost earning capacity, as well as an award for his pain & suffering and other damages sustained.

Do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.