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Dog bite-related injuries are common in South Africa, where strays frequent all urban areas.

If you have been bitten, here's is how to get the process started

Depending on the circumstances, you will claim through different avenues. If you have medical insurance you are normally covered for dog bites (a stray or your own). Those who have home/rental insurance are normally protected if claimed against for their dog biting someone.

Regardless of whether the owner of the dog that bites you does not have insurance, you will claim them directly. As is common in SA, not all dogs have owners. In this case, you won’t be able to claim unless you claim from the perspective of public liability. E.g. if you are bitten in a place, such as a shopping centre, the owner of which has a duty of care to public safety on the premises.

How to lodge a successful claim

In order to lodge a successful claim, you will need to show that the person responsible for the dog was in some way negligent giving rise to the dog biting/attacking you. Proving that the responsible party was negligent is not straightforward, and may require some administration and bureaucracy. Consulting one of our experienced attorneys at Adendorff will be to your advantage, as we will take over the responsibility and stress of managing your dog bite claim.

Additionally, you will have to show whether you were complicit or negligent towards the situation, e.g. did your behaviour or state leading up to the incident contribute to or cause it? The relative degree of your responsibility in preventing your own accident will affect how much you are compensated by, or if your claim is successful.

The value of your claim is not just influenced by provable negligence, but also, the skill of the lawyer you employ, the severity of your injuries, the laws of the state in which the accident occurred, the wealth and/or insurance of the defendant.

What am I entitled to claim?

If you have been attacked or bitten by a dog you can claim compensation for past and future medical costs, loss of earnings, loss of support (in case of death), and material damages.

To save you money and time, Adendorff Attorneys Inc. offers a free first consultation to discuss the validity and or the strength of your case how to move forward. But before you go see a lawyer, you may want to gather some information to help illustrate the circumstances of your accident.

• Photographs of your injuries and the dog
• A description of the events that led up to the dog bite
• A medical report detailing your injuries resulting from the accident, how they were treated and how they will continue to be treated (unless healed).
• Financial records of medical bills and/or loss of income