Dog Bite Laws

According to The Claims Journal, “Last year alone, one carrier paid $90 million in claims on roughly 3,500 dog bite incidents. According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites and other dog-related injuries accounted for an astonishing one-third (1/3) of all homeowner’s liability claim dollars paid out in 2017, costing almost $700 million.”

https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2019/01/03/288558.htm

This is a serious issue when it comes to insurance and claims.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per claim nationally has risen more than 90 percent from 2003 to 2017, due to increased medical costs as well as the size of settlements, judgments and jury awards given to plaintiffs. In 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in the United States. Nearly 1 out of 5 bites becomes infected.

You can find the full article and more information about the number of dog liability claims per state here: http://www.iii.org/insuranceindustryblog/dog-bite-liability-claims-by-state-interactive-map-draft/

Curious about the “Dog Bite Laws” in your state? Here is a list of dog bite laws per state courtesy of Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C.

photo copyright: https://www.flickr.com/photos/101332430@N03/21225816748 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/