About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Steps to take if you’ve been bitten by a dog

If you’ve been the victim of a dog bite, take the following steps:

• Seek medical attention: if the bite breaks the skin, you’ll need to seek medical attention at an after-hours clinic, emergency room, or your doctor’s office. Even if the injury doesn’t initially seem too severe, it can become infected if it’s not properly cleaned and treated.
• Get information from witnesses: if you’re able to do so, get the names and contact information of anyone who saw the incident. Particularly if you’re in a public place, other people may have witnessed what happened. If someone was with the dog when you were bitten, get their information as well.
• Keep good records: document your injury by taking pictures of it before treatment if you can, and also take photos after receiving treatment. Keep documentation in the form of doctor’s reports, prescriptions, or other relevant medical information.
• Get help from a dog bite attorney: don’t agree to any settlement from the owner or his or her homeowner’s insurance company without talking to a dog bite attorney. A lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases such as dog bites can help determine if you should take legal action against the dog’s owner. If so, he or she can help you gather the evidence you need to build your case and represent you in any judicial proceedings.
• Identify the owner: if the dog wasn’t with someone at the time you were bitten, you’ll need to try to find its owner. If the dog was on the loose when it bit you, call Animal Control so it can be secured. It may have tags on a collar, or the owner may show up to claim their dog. If the dog has an ID chip implanted, Animal Control can scan it to identify the owner. Once the owner is identified, ask for proof that the dog has been vaccinated for rabies and for its license number if pets are required to be licensed where you live.
• Follow up with the authorities: file a report with Animal Control or the police. You may also be able to find out if someone has previously filed a report about the same animal. If so, this could help prove that the owner knew his or her dog was dangerous and failed to secure their pet.

Determining legal responsibility in a dog bite case: an owner is usually held legally responsible for the injuries caused by his or her dog, unless the dog is provoked or if you weren’t legally entitled to be where you were when the bite occurred. Laws vary by state, however, with some having strict liability statutes. In these states, an owner is legally responsible for the bite even if he had no reason to believe the dog was dangerous. In others, the owner is liable only if he or she knew the dog was dangerous. Reasons for this may include the fact that the dog has bitten someone before, or it’s been trained to be aggressive.

If you’ve been bitten by a dog, contact a dog bite attorney to represent you. He or she can be your advocate in and out of court and in dealings with the dog owner’s homeowner’s insurance company.