Every year, thousands of victims enter hospitals and emergency rooms with serious injuries inflicted by dogs. Texas is one of the worst states in the country for dog bite injuries and fatalities. Children are the most vulnerable to fatal dog attacks, with many factors contributing to their risk. Make sure to speak with an experienced Dallas dog bite lawyer for legal guidance if you were injured.
The Staggering Statistics on Childhood Dog Bite Injuries and Deaths in Texas
According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, children account for approximately 50 percent of all dog bite victims. The elderly are the second-most vulnerable group. Texas Children’s Hospital states that most dog bite victims in the state are children, with boys ages 5 to 9 accounting for the highest dog bite rate. In 70 percent of cases, the dog was known to the victim.
What Makes Children the Most Vulnerable to Violent Dog Attacks?
Many factors increase both the risk of a dog wanting to attack a child and the child suffering life-threatening injuries compared to adults. Dogs may become triggered by a child’s natural playfulness or the presence of a new child or baby in the house. Children being unable to read a dog’s body language can also lead to them unintentionally escalating a situation.
Risk factors include:
- Perceived threat: dogs are more likely to perceive children as competitors in terms of food, water or toys, increasing the odds of a dog snapping at a child when feeling threatened.
- Lack of awareness: many children are not taught proper etiquette when faced with a strange dog, leading to children approaching dangerous, scared or aggressive animals.
- Provocation: children are more likely to do things that may frighten or hurt a dog, such as hitting, tail-pulling, making loud noises, or approaching a dog that is eating or nursing.
- Stature: young children are closer to eye level with large dogs, placing their faces, heads and necks at high risk of injury in the event of a dog attack.
Children are more vulnerable to fatal injuries than adults in dog attacks due to their size, with a higher likelihood of dog bite injuries inflicting mortal wounds. Their small and defenseless bodies can suffer deep wounds, severed arteries, broken bones and internal injuries more easily. Sadly, this leads to a high child dog bite fatality rate in Texas.
How to Prevent Child Dog Bite Injuries in Texas
Whether you have pets in your home or not, it is important to teach any children in your care the basics of dog safety. Education and awareness could help save a child from severe, painful and potentially fatal dog bite injuries in Texas.
Teach your children never to approach a dog they don’t know without asking permission from the pet owner. Children should always be supervised around dogs, even known or family pets. Children should never hit dogs, climb on them, pull their ears or tails, interrupt a dog that is eating or playing with toys, or bother dogs that are sleeping or caring for puppies.
If you are a pet owner who is introducing a new child into the home, create a safe zone for the pet to feel protected and be able to retreat from the child. Teach your child not to bother the dog in this zone, as well as in the dog’s bed or crate. Begin pet socialization with other dogs and people as early as possible.
What to Do if Your Child Gets Bitten By a Dog in Texas
In Texas, if a child gets attacked or bitten by a dog that has a history of prior bites or signs of aggression in the past, the pet owner can be held financially responsible for the incident. Your family may be entitled to compensation for your child’s medical expenses, therapies or rehabilitation, counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, and pain and suffering.
The experienced dog bite attorneys at Hill Law Firm Accident & Injury Attorneys can help you bring a claim against a pet owner for injuries to your child. Contact us for a free case review in Texas.