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Dog Bite Cases and Private Insurance of the Dog Owner

By Christopher Davis

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Published: 13Sep2009
Word count: 447
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Private Insurance

Oftentimes the dog owner has a homeowner’s insurance policy. Most homeowner’s policies will provide coverage for damages or injuries inflicted by the owner’s dog. However, most coverage questions are dictated by the terms of the insurance policy. And many times you cannot get access to the dog owner’s insurance policy until you actually file a lawsuit against the owner. Thus, a lawsuit may be necessary just to find out if there is an insurance policy, and if so, whether that policy will provide coverage to pay a settlement or verdict.

In addition to homeowner’s coverage, there is also renter’s coverage. A renter’s insurance policy is designed to protect those people who rent their home or apartment. Many renter’s insurance policies also provide coverage for dog bites. Most homeowner’s and renter’s policies that do provide coverage for animal bites usually will provide coverage of at least $100,000 or more. This means that the carrier will pay up to the maximum coverage allowed under the policy to someone who has been injured or harmed by the policyholder’s dog.

At present however, there are some insurance companies that have refused to provide coverage for dog bite attacks, or have refused to provide coverage for certain breeds of dogs, like Rottweilers, chow chows, Presa Canarios, and pit bull mixes. These insurance companies have alleged that certain breeds are more responsible for the claims that are filed by victims, and as a result have attempted to limit their exposure to claim payouts. Those dog owners who purchase homeowner’s and renter’s insurance should carefully read the policy to make sure what limitations of coverage actually do exist for injuries inflicted by their dogs.

Insurance coverage may also exist for a dog bite incident under an umbrella policy. Umbrella insurance is designed to give an added layer of protection above and beyond the limits of a homeowner’s policy. An umbrella policy can add an extra one to five million dollars in liability coverage. This protection is designed to “kick in” when the liability coverage on other current policies (like a homeowner’s policy) has been exhausted.

As stated earlier, you may not even know whether the dog owner has insurance and if so, whether the carrier will actually offer coverage. Sometimes the only option available is to file a lawsuit against the dog owner so that this information can be produced during the discovery process. In that situation the dog bite victim is wise to hire an attorney immediately so proper steps can be taken to analyze insurance coverage limits and defenses to coverage that the carrier may assert.

Seattle personal injury attorney Chris Davis, is regarded as one of the best dog bite and animal attack lawyers in Washington state. You can learn more about Mr. Davis and his law firm by visiting http://www.DavisLawGroupSeattle.com.

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