A dog bite compensation claim is a unique type of personal injury claim and if the dog owner does not have the benefit of insurance then it could be the end of the road, or perhaps not, it may be that your own home insurance could hold the key.
Most personal injury claims will be against a company, for example a slip in your local supermarket or a trip on a defective paving slab in the town centre. In these types of cases it would be very rare for the companies not to have the benefit of public liability insurance or large assets in which to meet a claim. A dog bite claim however is against the dog owner. Whilst some dog owners may have the benefit of pet or home insurance to cover a case it is not a legal requirement, so equally they may not. In rare cases the dog owner may possibly have the assets or savings in which to meet a claim. If the offending dog owner does not have the benefit of insurance or assets in which to meet a compensation claim, then you could win your claim but never see any of the monies paid to you or have receive as little as £5/£10 a month. Making the victory a hollow one.
So, what can be done if you have been the victim of a dog bite and the dog owner does not have the monies to pay out? Well, it may not mean the end of the claim. Some people do not realise it but if you have a home insurance policy then it may include a clause which means that your insurers will pay you your compensation awarded by a Court meaning that you are properly compensated for suffering a bite, which is invariably always a nasty experience, as well as your out of pocket losses.
So the key could be your own home insurance policy if the dog owner is uninsured and lacks monies to pay out your award.
If you have been the victim of a dog bite then feel free to contact our specialist dog bite team.