Man’s best friend? Dog bite liability
Insurances Civil liability insurance Homeowner insurance Renters insurance Other Special insurance: dog bite liability Average premium: $ /year
When are you liable? Because of ownership Exceptions: Trespassing Veterinarians Felons Provocation Police/military “one bite rule” Prevention
Most vicious dogs (responsible for the greatest number of dog bite-related fatalities from 1979 to 1998) 1.Pitbull 2.Rottweiler 3.German Shepherd 4.Husky 5.Malamute 6.Doberman 7.Chow 8.Great Dane 9.Saint Bernard 10.Wolf hybrids
What is covered? (future) medical treatment Medications Psychological counseling Loss of earnings Torn clothing
Statistics (USA) 65 million dogs Annual bites: 4.7 million (2%) (1/6) need medical attention Deaths: /year Dogs of family/friends: 77% Losses: > $ 1 billion /year $ 345 million paid by insurance
Emergency room incindents (2005) Cause of injuryIncidents Baseball/softball Dog bites Playground accidents All-terain vehicles, mopeds,… Volleyball Inline skating Horseback riding71.162
Number of dogs (+ 2%)
Number of bites (+ 33%)
Homeowner claims
Consequences For the owner: Loss of house, income,… For the victim: Physical consequences No way to recover For society: Society pays medical bills, disability and unemployment benefits Banning of certain breeds