Being safe around animals can save children from suffering major injuries. In fact, many dog bite incidents are completely preventable.
How can you keep your child safe from dog bites? The first tip is to be proactive and to encourage lessons about the dangers of dog bites and how to prevent them. Just one single lesson provided to children in elementary or middle school has been shown to reduce the risk of high-risk behaviors around unfamiliar dogs. That can help your child reduce the risk of a dog attacking due to human error.
With over 65 million dogs in the United States, it’s true that not all are going to be well-behaved. Some will be dangerous, and others may be diseased or sickly. When children interact with dangerous dogs or come into contact with them in public places, attacks can occur. Dog bite injuries are the second most frequent cause of emergency hospital visits among nine of the most common causes of injuries for children. Dog bites lead to around 333,687 emergency room visits, while the only riskier action, playing baseball or softball, led to 404,364.
In fact, the risk of a dog biting a child is 3.2 to 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A dog bite is more likely to cause an emergency room visit than a horseback riding accident, skateboarding accident or playground accident.
If your child is recovering from injuries from a dog bite, you can make a claim against the owner of that animal for compensation. Our website has more information on dog bite laws and what you can do to get the money you need.