Most dogs are friendly companions who offer love and support to their owners. However, some dogs are not as nice and others, and can end up attacking and biting other dogs or people. In Texas, we have strict laws regarding dog attacks that you should know in case you find yourself in this situation.
You can trust a dog bite lawyer from Buckingham & Vega Law Firm to guide you through your legal options and ensure that you are fully supported. We will fully investigate what happened in your dog attack and the injuries and damages that were caused so that we can accurately calculate what you’re owed and who needs to be held responsible.
What To Do After a Dog Bite
As with any animal bite, a dog bite can easily become infected because of the bacteria in the dog’s mouth. That’s why it’s important to treat a dog bite immediately after it happens so that you can prevent infection as best as possible. Your goal should still be to get to the hospital as soon as possible. But if you can’t make it there right away, then you should treat the wound quickly.
Here are some of the precautions to take after a dog attack when your skin is broken by the bite:
- Clean the wound. The first thing you should do is clean the wound. Using soap and water, wash the wound out to get rid of any germs or dirt that got into your cut. Use this time to determine how bad the bite was. Even if it’s minor, you should still seek medical treatment later so that a doctor can evaluate your injury.
- Press a clean cloth on the wound. This will dry off the area for your next steps. While pressing the clean cloth on the wound, the pressure will also reduce the bleeding.
- Apply ointment. Medicated ointment that works to disinfect and heal the wound is the next step in treating your wound before going to the doctor. Antibacterial ointment will decrease your risk of infection and help the wound start to heal.
- Cover with a clean bandage. You’ll want to cover your freshly cleaned wound with a sterile bandage. If the bandage isn’t sterile, then you could contaminate the injured spot again, and bacteria and germs could get into the broken skin and cause an infection. Since you’re already at a higher risk of infection because your injury was from a dog’s teeth, you’ll want to be as careful as possible when cleaning and covering it.
- Seek medical treatment. After you’ve properly cleaned your wound, you should still seek medical treatment from a doctor. They will be able to properly evaluate the severity of your wound and the risk of infection that you have. It’s important to note that if your wound is severe from the beginning, you should not try to treat it on your own and should go directly to the hospital. Even after getting medical treatment, you should still monitor your wound and how it’s healing. If you suspect it has gotten infected, you need to alert your doctor right away.
- Hire a lawyer. Once your dog bite wound has been treated, you’ll want to hire an attorney to represent you. They’ll be able to determine what happened, who was at fault, and how much you’re owed in compensation for your injury.
Buckingham & Vega Law Firm Can Help You
In Texas, you have plenty of legal options after a dog attack. You can file a legal claim against a responsible party for negligence, violating an animal control law that leads to a dog bite, failing to stop a dog attack, and keeping a vicious dog. Since our state follows the one bite rule, a victim can recover damages if a dog has bitten or acted like they wanted to bite a person before.
Our experienced dog bite lawyers at Buckingham & Vega Law Firm understand the laws surrounding dog attacks and can help you file a claim against the party who was responsible for your attack. You can have peace of mind knowing that we will fight to get you justice and the full and fair compensation that you deserve. Reach out to our office today so that we can get started right away.