Dog Bite and Animal Attack
In Iowa and Illinois, owners and keepers of dogs are legally responsible for the injuries caused by a dog bite or attack. If you are the victim a dog bite or dog attack in Iowa or Illinois , there is a good chance that the owner or the keeper of the animal is liable for the resulting injuries. If a person is bitten or otherwise attacked by a dog while the person is in a public place or is lawfully in a private place, including the property of the dog owner or person having the dog in the person's care or keeping, the dog owner or person having the dog in the person's care or keeping is liable for the damages suffered by the person bitten or otherwise attacked.
Under Iowa and Illinois law there is no one free bite rule. That means a dog owner can be held liable for dog bite injuries even if the animal has never exhibited dangerous behavior before. Simply owning a dog that bites another person may be enough to find the owner liable for damages the dog may have caused, including expensive medical bills.
Dog Bites are serious problems
Dog bites and other dog-related injuries accounted for more than one-third of all homeowners insurance liability claim dollars paid out in 2016, costing more than $600 million.
Dog Bite Liability by Insurance Information Institute, 2017
In 2016, dogs attacked over 6,750 U.S. Postal Service employees -- over 200 more attacks than last year. The city of Los Angeles had the most attacks (80).
United States Postal Service (USPS), April 2017
Approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in the United States. Nearly 1 out of 5 bites becomes infected.
Preventing Dog Bites, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, May 2015
In 2015, more than 28,000 people underwent reconstructive surgery as a result of being bitten by dogs.
2015 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2015
There was an 86% increase in dog bite-related hospitalization stays between 1993 and 2008 in the United States.
The average cost of a dog bite-related hospital stay was $18,200, about 50% higher than the average injury-related hospital stay.
There were 4 times as many dog bite-related ED visits and 3 times as many hospital stays in rural areas than in urban areas in 2008.
In 2008, Medicare and Medicaid combined paid for 37% of all dog bite-related hospitalization stays in the United States.
Adults with two or more dogs in the household are five times more likely to be bitten than those living without dogs in the home.
Dog bites: still a problem?, by Gilchrist J, Sacks JJ, White D, Kresnow MJ, Injury Prevention, 2008
Dog bites occur every 75 seconds in the United States. Each day, over 1,000 citizens need emergency medical care to treat these injuries.
Dog attack victims suffer over $1 billion in monetary losses annually. JAMA reports this estimate to be as high as $2 billion.
Dog Bites Recognized as Public Health Problem by R. Voelker, JAMA, 1997
