You’re minding your business, attending to your work as a delivery driver. You make your way to a doorstep to deposit a package when, out of nowhere, a dog appears and races toward you. You can’t get back to your truck before the dog sinks its teeth into your leg.
The pain is immediate, the trauma is real, and you are now facing heavy questions: Will the injuries heal fully? How much work will you have to miss? How will you pay your bills without those wages? And what, if anything, can you do about it?
If you were bitten while doing your job, you’re the victim. You’re not a trespasser, and not someone who chose to take on that risk. The law recognizes that delivery workers have a right to be where their routes take them. Here is some advice from our Las Vegas dog bite attorneys on what happens next.
The Law Protects Delivery Workers
When you walk up a driveway or approach a front door on your delivery route, you’re there for a legitimate purpose. Residents know that delivery drivers, mail carriers, and service workers can reasonably be there. All homeowners and residents have a basic responsibility to keep the property reasonably safe for these people.
A dog attack doesn’t change the fact that you had “implied permission” to be on that property. You were bitten while doing your job, following the normal path your route required. This is a completely different circumstance from someone who was trespassing before the dog attacked.
Dog bite claims often depend on the specific facts of the situation. Sorting out those facts may require the help of a dog attack injury attorney for delivery workers. But the starting point is clear: you were there legally doing your job, and you were hurt.
“The Dog Got Loose” Isn’t the End of the Story
Most dog owners don’t jump to take responsibility after an attack. One of the most common responses from the owner is some variation of: the dog was tied up, it was behind a fence, it got out.
The owner may try to claim that the escape was entirely beyond their control and that they shouldn’t be held responsible for an accident.
That explanation doesn’t automatically settle a claim. Whether an owner can successfully argue that a dog’s escape was unforeseeable depends on the facts of the situation. Was the animal adequately secured? Did the owner have any reason to believe the dog might get out? Had there been issues with the animal or the enclosure before?
These are the kinds of questions that make a difference in a dog bite case. You don’t necessarily have to prove that the owner intended for the dog to escape. The more relevant question is if the owner did enough to prevent it. Don’t accept the “it got loose” explanation as the final word before you’ve talked to an attorney.
What to Do Right After a Dog Attack
The steps you take in the hours after a dog attack can affect both your health and your ability to pursue a claim.
- Get medical attention right away. Dog bites can cause deep tissue damage, infection, and other complications that aren’t always obvious at the scene. Get checked out right away and go through with any tests or imaging your doctor recommends. Immediate medical attention helps stabilize your health and keeps things from getting worse. It also creates a medical record documenting what happened and what injuries the bite caused. Stay consistent with your medical care over time. Consistent care supports your recovery and your legal claim.
- Report the attack. Tell your employer what happened and file a report with local animal control or police. These reports create a paper trail. They help establish that the attack occurred and identify the dog involved. You should also get the owner’s name, contact information, and insurance details as soon as possible.
- Document the attack. Take photos of your injuries and the location of the attack. Include any fencing or containment that the dog may have breached. Write down every detail that you remember about how the attack unfolded. Note the names and contact information of anyone who witnessed it.
Multiple Paths to Compensation
As a delivery worker injured on the job, there may be more than one avenue for recovering your losses.
Workers’ compensation is available to most employees who are hurt on the job. It typically covers medical bills and a percentage of lost wages. However, workers’ comp in Nevada does not include pain and suffering, which is a non-economic damage that accounts for physical pain and emotional suffering.
A claim against the dog owner works differently. It may allow you to recover a broader range of losses, depending on the facts involved. Whether that kind of claim is available to you, and what it might cover, depends on the specifics of your situation.
A workers’ compensation attorney near you can advise you on which options are available to you through your employer and which you could pursue through a private personal injury case against the dog owner.
Getting the Right Help After a Dog Attack
If you fell victim to a dog attack while on a delivery route, there’s a lot at stake. Bites can wound hands and legs and cause nerve damage that affects overall mobility. They can rob you of the very capacities you need for your livelihood. They can lead to infection and permanent scarring.
An attorney can make sure that you are holding the right people accountable and pursuing all compensation that is legally available. They can point you to the right medical specialists, who will not only give you the best care to reduce long-term harm but also document your injuries and treatment in support of your legal claim.
They can help you gather the best evidence to build a claim that insurance companies can’t tear down, and they can pursue all paths to make sure you get the full compensation you’re entitled to.