Utah Types Of Dog Attacks

Dog attacks can very scary and traumatic for the victim or to any witnesses of the attack. Dogs aren’t all vicious but when a dog does attack, it can cause serious damage to the victim’s body. Our Utah dog bite lawyer has extensive experience working on dog attack cases and below is a list of types/injuries which may occur during dog attacks.

Hands, Arms, and Legs Attacks

When a dog attacks, a person’s first thought and action is to protect themselves by putting out their arms or legs. This is definitely the best approach since sometimes you are able to injure the dog and they may stop the attack. However, this action does sacrifice your extremities to the dog. The pain and damage that a dog can do to these areas of the body can be excruciating. You should always attempt to protect your face and neck from the dog so putting out your arms or legs could help you do this. Within this type of attack, there are a couple of different types of injury that can happen: puncture wounds and broken bones.

Puncture Wounds

This type of wound occurs when the dog bites and the teeth enter the skin during an attack. Tearing of the skin can also happen, causing further damage to the extremity. Puncture wounds are also accompanied by scratches with a tooth or clawing from the paws.

Broken or Crush Injuries

When a dog bites or attacks a person, the damage the dog’s bite can have on extremities can cause crushed bones. A dog’s jaw is very strong and even if the skin is not punctured, bones can still be crushed during the dog’s attack. Also when a dog attacks, the person might fall or get knocked to the ground which could result in broken bones that could hinder the victim’s ability to fight back.

Head, Neck, and Face Attacks

Unfortunately, this type of attack is most common for children. Children are smaller and shorter and when the dog attacks, it is likely to attack at the same level, causing serious injury to the child’s face. A child also can’t fend off the attack like adults can, this results in more severe injuries since the victim can’t stop the attack. This type of injury is the most severe type of attack since the damage that is done to one’s face will be with them for the rest of their life. Dog attacks to the face can sometimes require multiple facial reconstruction surgeries and result in disfiguring scars that could cause the victim life-long emotional injuries.

Head or Brain Injuries

As mentioned, if the person falls or gets knocked down during an attack, the victim may hit their head on an object or the ground and cause serious damage or brain injuries while trying to fend off the attack. Head injuries can also happen if the dog bites the head of the victim. Head injuries can be simple as a bump on the head or as serious as a fractured skull or a brain injury causing permanent disability.

Scars

Since the most frequent target of dog attacks is the face, these types of wounds can result in severe scarring. These disfiguring scars can have life-long consequences from both physical or emotional standpoints, especially in children. This is a major determinant in your personal injury case as the victim will forever be reminded of the dog’s attack.

Emotional Psychological Injuries

After suffering from a dog attack, the victim may carry emotional scars with them for the rest of their life. The psychological injuries that are sometimes present after a dog attack can affect every part of the victim’s life. The victim may even develop Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that could cause the person may carry frightening memories that could keep them from holding a job or sleeping at night. These types of injuries could result in life-long treatment and counseling.

If you have been injured by a dog and have suffered from a dog attack, do not wait to call Good Guys Injury Law to help you get the compensation you deserve. Knowing what to do after an attack is very important for your personal injury case, read our advice about what you need to do after a dog attack to ensure that you are able to get the help that you need. Call today to schedule a free confidential consultation at (801) 506-0800.

Image “When animals attack!” copyright by Cortney Martin.

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