This past November, the Philadelphia Marathon celebrated a number of key runners who have participated in the event over the years. Kim Pohas was one of them. As an avid runner, she trains regularly. However, in 2011, she was injured in a dog bite accident when out for a jog. While a dog bite lawyer could have helped Pohas determine if she could recover civil damages from the dog owner, the dog owner was unable to be identified by police. What made matters worse is what happened next.
After being treated for her injuries at the hospital, a follow up appointment led to the discovery that she had contracted a deadly, drug-resistant staph infection. After a two week hospital stay and five months of intensive therapy, she decided that training for the marathon would help her get back into shape and fully recover.
Stories like Pohas’ are more common than one might think. While a dog bite lawyer can offer assistance both in investigating the ownership of the dog and helping you navigate the road to recovering a settlement, the investigation could result in a dead end. It is, however, important to hire and work with an attorney who knows how to pursue these types of cases to help augment law enforcement’s efforts to find the party at fault. Edith Pearce, the founder of The Pearce Law Firm, is a veterinarian’s daughter, and she is familiar with different dog breeds and the Pennsylvania leash laws in controlling dogs. In Pennsylvania, dogs must be confined on their owner’s property or reasonably controlled by a person. Also, many times the dog owner’s home insurance policy may provide coverage for dog bites when the owner has not controlled or confined their dog.
For the staph infection, it will be important to choose an attorney who has background in medical malpractice. Even though a dog bite lawyer is appropriate for pursuing a case against dog and owner, consideration must be given to filing a claim against the hospital where you contracted a staph infection. If you ever find yourself in a situation where your care was compromised by the doctors, nurses, or other hospital staff during your treatment, the case would require a medical malpractice lawyer.
At The Pearce Law Firm, our lawyers handle both dog bite accident cases and medical malpractice cases, so we can give you advice on all aspects of your injury.