Dogs are one of the most popular animals that people keep as pets. According to the American Pet Products Association, an estimated 44 percent of American households have a dog. While dogs are clearly man’s best friend, they can also be pretty dangerous. It is estimated that nearly 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year, with 800,000 of those people needing to seek medical attention for their bite wounds. Of those 800,000, around half of them are children. Dog bites can often be unprovoked, but dog owners are responsible for their dog’s behavior. In Illinois, if you are bitten by a dog, you may have grounds for a premises liability lawsuit.

Dog Bite Prevention Tips

There are a multitude of reasons why dogs sometimes bite people. Most of the time, when a dog bites someone, they are doing so because they feel threatened. This is the basis for most dog bite prevention tips. Here are a few tips for how you can prevent a dog bite:

• Avoid Certain Situations: In some situations, dogs are more likely to bite people. These situations can include if a dog is sleeping, eating, sick, injured, with her puppies, playing with a toy or barking or growling at you.
• Learn Canine Body Language: Knowing what to look for in a dog’s body language can help keep you and your children safe. Cowering, ears back, teeth bared and tail between the legs can mean that the dog is stressed, frightened or threatened.
• Use Proper Etiquette: Never pet a dog or let your child pet a dog without first asking its owner. The owner may warn you not to because they know their dog is not too friendly. If you are allowed to pet the dog, make sure the dog sees you and smells you before you reach out.

What to Do if You Are Bitten

If you are bitten by a dog, be sure to apply first aid right away at home. Try to keep the bite area elevated, cover it with a clean towel and put light pressure on it to stop any bleeding. Wash the wound with soap and warm water, apply a layer of antibiotic ointment and place a sterile bandage on the wound. If you cannot get your wound to stop bleeding, the wound is very deep or your wound is red or has discharge, you should see a doctor immediately.

Halloween is a wickedly magical time of year for children to enjoy - but it is also a dangerous time of year. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, children are more than twice as likely to be hit and killed by a car on Halloween than any other day of the year. Trick-or-treating is a Halloween tradition that is enjoyed by children of all ages, but with an increase of pedestrians on the road and a decrease in daylight, it can make for deadly circumstances resulting in slip-and-fall accidents or car accidents. Fortunately, there are ways you can keep your children safe during this spooky season. Here are four tips to have a safe Halloween.

Choose a Safe Costume

Halloween is all about the costumes, whether your child is a sweet and sparkly fairy or a dark and mysterious witch. Help your children stay safe by choosing light-colored costumes when possible. Also, make sure the costume fits your child to help prevent any trips or falls from baggy fabric and make sure masks fit correctly so their vision is not obstructed.

Dogs are commonly called man’s best friend--and for good reason. More than 36 percent of American households own at least one dog. Dogs have even been proven to decrease stress, get us moving more often and are great playmates for children--but they can also be dangerous. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), more than 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each day, with nearly 800,000 people needing medical attention. Children are most susceptible to dog bites--nearly half of all dog bites that occur happen to children, especially children under the age of 14.

Injuries caused by dog bites can range from mild to severe and may leave lasting damage if the injury was bad enough. It is important to understand that any dog can bite--it does not matter what breed or how big the dog is, there is always a risk of being bitten. Understanding the injuries they cause can help you keep yourself and your loved ones safe around these lovable companions.

Types of Dog Bite Injuries

Just because a company is in the business of insurance does not mean that it has noble motives. A car insurance company is a company just like any other, meaning that its reason for existence is to generate profits for itself and its shareholders. This plain truth should not shock the conscience, as it simply speaks to the nature of doing business in a capitalistic economy such as that of the United States. Rather, this information should function as a “reality check” for car accident victims.

A car insurance company protects profits by working to minimize payouts for car accidents claims. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the payout minimization tactics utilized by car insurers. When they are deployed overly aggressively in the interest of an inadequate payout, the services of an experienced car accident attorney are an asset.

Car Insurance Companies Time Settlement Offers Strategically

Traffic in the O’Hare Airport area is an intense nexus of departing and arriving travelers, taxis, ride-sharing services, and individuals who simply traverse I-90 or I-190 on a daily basis as part of their work commute. With so much activity, often governed by time-sensitive schedules, car accidents are an unfortunately daily inevitability. Whether around the perimeter of O’Hare or in nearby Rosemont or Park Ridge, when you meet the misfortune of a car accident, it is important to navigate the subsequent healthcare, insurance, law enforcement, and if necessary, legal interactions with as much preparedness and assertiveness as needed to cover your accident expenses, medical bills, and other losses.

Receiving the Full Compensation You Are Entitled to under Your Insurance Policy

It is in an insurer’s interest with regard to profit margins to pay out the minimum compensation required when a valid claim is filed. As such, knowledge and assertiveness are essential in obtaining the full extent of compensation you are entitled to receive from car accident claim. So know your insurance policy and do not settle for less than you deserve. Consider relying on an experienced car accident attorney – especially one who has dealt with insurance companies countless times and knows full well the internal procedures they utilize in an effort to pay out less than full compensation to claimants.