Bitten by a Dog When You Deliver a Package

Transcript: You are delivering a package for a delivery company, and without warning a huge dog comes out of nowhere and tears into you.

Your medical bills are mounting, so you call an attorney and ask, can I sue?

Hi, I’m Indiana Personal Injury Attorney David Holub.

What are your legal rights when you are bitten by a dog while making a package delivery?

Dog attacks on delivery people are now common. Dogs used to bite only postal workers. Now they go after Amazon delivery people, grocery delivery workers, and other delivery service employees.

In dog bite situations, a key issue is to find insurance that covers the homeowner who owned the dog. Many times, we find no insurance that covers a dog.

Often, if there is an insurance policy, there is also an exclusion for dog bites, or an exclusion for aggressive breeds. It is important to determine if there is insurance, because a person with no insurance can easily file bankruptcy to avoid paying a claim.

Besides analyzing potential insurance coverage, we also analyze the history of the dog.

Has the dog bitten other people? If so, in what other situations has this dog attacked someone?

Did the owner have reason to know that they were keeping a dangerous dog?

If the animal has bitten in the past, the owner is presumed to know the dog poses a danger.

What steps, if any, did the owner take to restrain their dog? Was it locked up? On a leash? Did the dog break free from an enclosure? Did the dog owner post warning signs? Did the delivery person see the sign? Also, important to consider is whether the delivery person is covered under workers compensation for a work injury caused by the dog bite. This often will depend on whether the person is an employee or an independent contractor.

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