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animal liability lawsuits

3 Ways That Dogs Cause Animal Liability Lawsuits

Humans domesticated dogs over 10,000 years ago. Because of their long association with humans, they are more adept at understanding our emotions and intentions than any other animal species. However, this understanding is limited as is ours of them. People mistakenly treat their dogs as if they are members of the family, and can’t conceive of their causing injury to others. Unfortunately, this leads to incidents where people are seriously injured by dogs, which then give rise to litigation. Here are three ways that dogs cause lawsuits:

1 – Dog Bites

Dogs bite for a variety of reasons. Sometimes their breed combined with a poor upbringing causes them to attack people with whom they’re unfamiliar. Territoriality and failure of their owner to restrain them can cause them to attack a person walking on the street in front of their home. This situation worsens when the victim tries to run away, which excites the dog.

Children are most vulnerable to attack because of their small size and inability to understand when their actions are bothering a dog. They may treat a dog like one of their stuffed animal toys and pet or hug the dog in ways that violate the animal’s space or cause pain. They often fail to recognize a dog’s signals that warn the child to stay away.

2 – Bicycling Accidents

Unleashed dogs sometimes chase bicycles and cause an accident by knocking over the bicycle, getting in its way, or biting the cyclist. Depending on the speed of the bicycle, how it crashes, the frailty of the bicyclist, an accident can cause debilitating injuries. Sometimes these accidents involve a motor vehicle when a cyclist swerves into it while evading a dog.

3 – Fall Accidents

Even a playful dog can cause injury when its rambunctious energy knocks down and injures a toddler. Dogs are excitable in some situations such as when around other dogs — with the result that their leashes are pulled from the owners’ hands. The leashes may entangle the legs of other people and cause fall accidents. These can cause serious injury, particularly to small children and the elderly.

Home insurance companies understand the unpredictability of dog behavior, and because of this, have limits on their animal liability coverage. Their coverage also excludes specific breeds. You may be uninsured or underinsured without knowing it. If your home insurance excludes your pet’s breed or has coverage amounts that seem inadequate, contact us today for pet liability coverage at XINSURANCE.


Rick LindseyAuthored by Rick J. Lindsey, President, Chairman, and CEO of XINSURANCE

Rick J. Lindsey hails from Salt Lake City, Utah. He began working in the mailroom of his father’s Salt Lake City insurance firm, getting his introduction to the business that became his lifelong career. Rick J. Lindsey quickly rose through the ranks while working in nearly every imaginable insurance industry job. As an entrepreneur, specialty lines underwriter, claims specialist, risk manager, and a licensed surplus lines broker, Rick J. Lindsey is highly skilled in all levels of leadership and execution. As he progressed on his career path, Rick J. Lindsey discovered an urgent need for insurers willing to write policies for high-risk individuals and businesses. He was frequently frustrated that he could not provide the liability protection these entities desperately needed to safeguard their assets. He also formed the belief that insurance companies acted too quickly to settle frivolous claims. Rick J. Lindsey decided to try a different approach. He started an insurance company and became the newly formed entity’s CEO. This opportunity has enabled Rick J. Lindsey to fill a void in the market and provide a valuable service to businesses, individuals, and insurance agents who write high-risk business. XINSURANCE also specializes in helping individuals and businesses who live a lifestyle or participate in activities that make them difficult for traditional carriers to insure. If you’ve been denied, non-renewed, or canceled coverage, don’t give up quite yet. Chances are XINSURANCE can help.