Thanksgiving is nearly here and Christmas is coming right afterwards! However, this time of year may not be easy for your pets. The holidays can be a stressful time for both dogs and their owners. Anecdotally, reports of dog bites appear to increase during the holiday season and is often appears to be due, in part, to dogs being exposed to an increase in movement, activity, and exposure to unfamiliar people. These unknown people and situations can be frightening to dogs, and may make them appear defensive and more prone to biting people. In order to keep both pets and owners safe this holiday season, our law firm has a few tips to offer:
Halloween and Premises Liability
If you are expecting to welcome trick or treaters onto your property this Halloween, there are a couple things that you should be aware of. First, if you are a homeowner, you have a responsibility to keep your property safe for anyone entering your property. These people are owed a duty to be protected from certain dangerous conditions that you either caused or created, know about, or should have known about. These types of cases are known as premises liability cases, or more commonly, "slip and fall" cases. Second, you could be responsible for injuries if it happens on your property, and you breached the duty owed to the people entering your property. At the law firm of Douglas V. Stoehr, we have experience in handling premises liability or "slip and fall" cases, but we would prefer that no one gets injured this Halloween. We can provide a few tips for you to keep in mind while decorating, and getting ready to hand out candy:
- Make sure that your walkway, sidewalk and/or steps are well-lit and visible from the street to your front door.
- Make sure that any dangerous conditions on walkways, sidewalks and steps are repaired or marked clearly to let people know of the dangerous conditions
- Remove anything that may cause an individual to trip or fall while on your property, i.e., decorations and extension cords.
If you or a family member is a victim of a premises liability or "slip and fall" case, please call Attorney Doug Stoehr's Altoona, PA area firm at 814-946-4100 to discuss your potential claim. As always, remember to have fun and be safe out there this Halloween.
Throwback Thursday: Your Rights and Dog Bites
Every year nearly 5 million people are bitten by dogs, and close to half of those victims are children. 1 in 5 people that are victims of dog bites require medical attention, which equates to about 900,000 Americans that received medical attention for dog bites in the past year.
In 2012, dog bites accounted for approximately one third of settlements of all homeowner's insurance liability claims. Pennsylvania ranked fifth in states with the most dog bite insurance claims.
Don't Let Deer Ruin Your Day!
Several years ago, State Farm has released its annual deer-related collision report, and Pennsylvania was again listed as the fifth most likely state for a deer collision. Pennsylvania drivers have a roughly 1 in 77 chance of hitting a deer this year. Even though the odds seem good, State Farm has reported that the odds of colliding with a deer are actually down by 4.3 percent. The reason for the decline is simple. There are more registered drivers on the road.
State Farm compiled these numbers by look at the total number of deer collisions between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2013, and found that 1.22 million deer-related collisions occurred during that period, which they say is down by 3.5 percent compared to the previous year. State Farm also reports that November is the most likely month for an incident to occur, followed by October and December.
State Farm has reported that the "Top 5 Most Likely States for Deer Collisions" are as follows: 1) West Virginia; 2) Montana; 3) Iowa; 4) South Dakota; and 5) Pennsylvania.
Keeping Owners and Dogs Safe During the Holidays
With Halloween almost here and Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, the holidays can be a stressful time for both dogs and their owners. Incidents of dog bites appear to increase this time of year, and is often due to dogs being surrounded by an increase of movement, unfamiliar environments, and people who may scare or anger them! In order to keep both pets and owners safe this holiday season, our law firm has a few tips to offer:
Dog Bite Claims Are Becoming More Expensive
According to an online insurance website, dog bites accounted for over 33% of all homeowners insurance liability claims last year. The costs exceeded $530M nationwide, as noted in data from the Insurance Information Institute and State Farm insurance. Although the total number of dog bite claims decreased by about 5% from the previous year, the cost per claim rose by 15%. From the years of 2003 to 2014, the cost per dog bite claim rose over 67% nationwide. Last year, Pennsylvania had 861 reported dog bite claims, with each claim averaging about $26,000 for a total cost of over $22M for all reported PA claims.
Prevent Dog Bites This Summer With A Few Simple Tips!
US News & World Report's Health section recently offered up a few tips to prevent dog bites, which become increasingly common as summer approaches. Some of their practical, easily accessible tips include:
