Being bitten by an animal is often an event that leads the way to several doctor’s visits and other appointments. When the animal that bit you was someone’s pet, you might opt to seek compensation for the injuries you suffered. There are a few different sources that might cover the costs associated with the bites.
Once source is the animal’s owner. The owner of the animal might be liable for the costs if there isn’t any insurance coverage to collect from. In this case, it might be necessary to seek compensation through the civil court system.
Some pet owners have animal insurance. This is often the case if the animal has already had an insurance claim associated with it. Many other insurance companies won’t cover an animal with a history of bites or attacks, so animal insurance is sometimes a last resort.
Car insurance policies might cover animal attacks if the animal was in the vehicle. The car insurance company might be liable if the animal bit someone through the window the car or if the animal attacked someone while it was in the bed of a pickup truck.
Home insurance policies will usually cover animal bites that occur on the insured property. In some cases, they offer limited benefits if the animal bites someone away from the home. Home insurance policies usually have a liability limit on the amount of coverage for animal bites, and these policies usually cover only one attack from each animal.
Knowing who to seek compensation from can often be complex, especially if there is more than one policy that can cover the event. For this reason, anyone who has been bitten by an animal should work to determine every defendant in the case.
Source: FindLaw, “Animal Bites: Who Pays Damages?,” accessed May. 13, 2015
