Animal attack statistics that SHOULD concern you

Know your breed

Planning your summer vacation yet? School will soon be out and the kids will be home.  What you don’t plan on could come back to bite you — an animal attack!

Whether you’re a “helicopter parent”, a “free-range parent” or somewhere in the middle of that spectrum,  a normal parent tries to protect their children from harm.

Naturally, our parental warning radar pops into high alert when the Center for Disease Control warns us that there are 4.5 million dog bites a year.  According to DogsBite.org , there were only 39  dog bite fatalities in the U.S. during 2017.  Of these fatalities, 15 were children under the age of 9.

One of the most chilling factors in the 2017 statistics is that NINE of these fatalities were infants killed by a family dog!  Even scarier, most of these dogs had no history of aggression. You can read the stories with citations at DogsBite.org.

While you are at least 30,000 times more likely to die in an auto accident than an animal attack, a serious dog bite leaves both emotional and physical scars.

Just reading the horrific true stories of the men, women, and children who died from a dog attack gave me the chills. It’s a bloody, brutal death, made even worse if a trusted family pet turns on you.

Imagine being one of more than 28,000 people in need of reconstructive surgery due to dog bites!  (2012 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2015)

As a safety precaution, teach your children some basic common sense tips!  Help prevent dog bite or other animal attacks.

( This  Washington Post article states that you’re almost as likely to be killed by a cow as a dog. Not surprisingly, farm workers are at the greatest risk for this category of fatalities.)

COMMON SENSE DOG BITE PREVENTION TIPS:

 

  • Basic rule of thumb: Never leave a baby unattended with a family dog. If your child is going to babysit, this is also the safest practice for sitters.READ up on your breed before you adopt. Not to start a “breed war”, but a dog breed with any history of aggression does not belong with small children!

  • Don’t get your family dog riled up around small children. In fact, aggressive play with your dog is never a good idea.

  • Ask your in-laws, friends, or relatives to also never leave your infant or small child alone with their dog.  One dog bite can change family relationships forever!

  • Teach your child to never approach a strange dog. This is a rule I broke when my daughter was young! Gulp!  I did always warned her to ask the dog owner first. Dogs are often kid-magnets, depending on the kid! Mine is a dog-lover.

  • Teach RESPECT for other people’s property.  If your teens are caught trespassing, that dog bite might serve them right.

  • If greeting a friend or family member’s dog with permission, approach gently and allow the dog to sniff you first. Don’t stare into the dog’s eyes!

  • Call Animal Control if a strange dog is running loose. Many towns have ordinances about loose dogs (for good reason). In our town, the police arrived when Animal Control was delayed. Why? Our neighbor’s pit bull attempted to escape her fenced yard and was hanging from her chain over the fence. We could NOT approach safely to help her. The police were able to quickly and safely help the dog.

  • Do stay calm, don’t run, and don’t make panicky moves or noises if a strange dog approaches.

  • Have YOU been injured in a dog-bite attack? You need the help of an experienced animal attack attorney with extensive knowledge of your local laws in Missouri. You can reach Attorney Nathan A. Steimel at 636-244-3737. You will not be charged any lawyer fees unless your case settles favorably!

  • For more information on your likelihood of animal attacks (Good news, mainly, but watch out for … BEES!) check out the article and info-graphic below.

https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/17/health/animal-attacks-statistics/index.html

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Dog Bite Statistic Infographic
Source: CanineJournal.com

This website is designed for general information only. The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice or the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

 

 

 

3 (more) tips to avoid a backyard premises liability case

Kids, dogs, pools — what are your backyard hazards?

Hey, homeowner! Is your yard or property a breeding ground for a premises liability case or a personal injury case? Good question, right?! With spring just around the corner,  it’s time to make a to-do list.

Those that you invite on your property are your responsibility in a sense. You are responsible to protect them from known dangers and dangers that an ordinary inspection would reveal. Even uninvited guests, like child trespassers, pose a worrisome legal liability.

Most of the time we think of slip-and-fall accidents when we worry about getting sued in a premises liability case or a personal injury case. Living on a corner lot in town, we get a lot of foot traffic.  The sidewalks around my house are our responsibility.

Our town grants us 48 hours to get our sidewalks cleared. However, our sidewalks get cleared of snow and ice quickly! Then they get treated with ice-melt. The sidewalks are a long, narrow skating rink otherwise.

However, a few years back, the town decided to come in and redo the sidewalks. They also installed a handicapped accessible crosswalk on our corner.

Unfortunately the design engineers did not correctly account for the drainage on our street. Since then, the handicapped crosswalk section always floods in wet weather. In freezing temperatures the small pond turns into a sheet of ice. The “pond” is almost impossible to keep clear under those conditions.

Who would be responsible for a slip-and-fall on the section of sidewalk turned nightmare? It’s a question that bothers me every winter. What are your yard hazards?

1.) Sidewalk maintenance helps prevent slip-and-fall accidents.

Town rules differ. You’ll need to check with your town office or your neighborhood homeowner’s association as to your responsibilities.  Waiting until an accident occurs is not good game plan.  Clearly, cracked, uneven, or broken sidewalks are a slip-and-fall hazard.  The same goes for driveways.

2.) Remove tree and yard debris.

Interestingly factoid —  New York City is a prime place to get injured by a falling tree.  More than 2.5 million trees line New York’s parks and city streets!

What about your home and yard? Missouri weather is not a friend to trees!  Between the high winds, snow, ice, and maybe even a tornado, your trees get battered.

The Missouri Department of Conservation publishes a helpful guide to cleaning up damaged trees after storms. The MDC recommends hiring an arborist if you have trees you are unsure about saving.

If you have kids, especially, those downed tree limbs are a kid-magnet. War, fort building, limb-launching — you name it, they’ll do it. So if the neighbor’s kids gravitate toward your yard,  ward off a premises liability claim by removing temptation!

3.) Use a fence and “no trespassing” signs if your yard contains a pool or a dog.

Fido may be all bark and no bite, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. “Beware of the guard dog.” and “no trespassing” signs are preventative measures.

Since pools are “attractive nuisances” for child trespassers, secure fencing and a sign are a must. Although neither of these can totally prevent an accidental drowning,  good fences make good neighbors. Our youngest neighbors deserve our best protection.

If you’re getting your yard ready for spring and summer fun, here’s another article on backyard safety for you from your friends at The Law Offices of Nathan A. Steimel, LLC

BONUS TIP: Hide your grill behind that secure fencing, too. You never know when a child chef wanna-be might try out your grill.

If you or a loved one have suffered serious injuries due to someone else’s unsafe property conditions, you need professional legal help.  Call 636-244-3737 for free initial consultation with Nathan A. Steimel, an experienced personal injury lawyer serving the greater St. Louis area.

This website is designed for general information only. The information presented on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice or the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.