A jury recently awarded a total of $1 million to a woman and her family after she was attacked and mauled by a 90-pound bulldog.  The woman was walking her own dog to meet her children at their bus stop when she was attacked.  The dog bit the woman's nose off, requiring extensive surgery, and the owner of the bulldog was sentenced to 4 months in prison and 100 hours of community service.  The dog was put down.

This horror story serves to underscore the emotional and financial costs involved in dog bites.  According to the Insurance Information Institute, about one third of annual insurance liability claims involve dog bites, and it costs insurance companies around $350 million per year.  The average cost of a dog-bite claim in 2007 was almost $25,000, an amount significantly inflated from just a few years previously.  Because of the cost, insurance companies are refusing to ensure breeds perceived as more likely to attack people, such as pit bulls, Akitas, Dobermans, and Rottweilers, meaning that owners without insurance could be personally liable to large amounts of money should they be found guilty.

Dog attacks aren't good for anyone.  They're painful and costly to both the victim and the owner.  If you're interested in learning more about dog bites, contact the Chicago dog bite attorneys of Friedman & Bonebrake, P.C., by calling 312-466-8200.