Dog Bite Personal Injury Claims: 3 Tips For Keeping And Storing Fur And Saliva Samples
Posted on: 13 October 2016
Dog bite injuries can be rather extensive and severe. Depending on how deep your wounds are, you might find yourself struggling with permanent disability in areas where you were attacked. With that said, the average dog bite claim in 2015 cost $37,214. If you don't want to have to pay out of your own pockets, you'll need to file a dog bite personal injury claim. To file a claim, you must be able to prove the identity of the dog that attacked you. The best way of doing so is to take and keep fur and saliva samples found on your clothing or in your wound. Here are 3 tips your attorney might recommend.
Store Samples in a Paper Bag
While most people are under the assumption that storing samples in a plastic bag is the safest option, the truth is that plastic bag will not give your samples the opportunity to breathe. The environment within a plastic bag is very susceptible to fungal or bacterial growth. Both will contaminate your sample. The best way to store saliva and fur samples is to keep them in a paper bag, which allows the sample to breathe.
Provide Samples to Your Attorney and to the Opposing Party
In order to submit your sample in court, you must give the opposing party the chance to test the sample that you have as well. Provide the sample to your personal injury attorney to use as they see fit. Your attorney will have to request for a saliva or fur sample from the dog owner in order to match the sample you have with theirs. Some of the sample will be sent to the laboratory and some of the sample will be sent to the opposing lawyer.
Document the Chain of Custody
To prove that the sample was not contaminated, you will also need to document the chain of custody of the sample. This will include the hospital where the sample was taken, the nurse or doctor who bagged up the sample from you, the date which you took the sample, and other types of information. Your personal injury attorney will be able to provide you more information as to what you will need to document.
Conclusion
Usually, most dog owners will take responsibility for their dog, so you won't have to send the sample in for analysis. Still, you can never be too sure. Having a fur or saliva sample can help solidify your case and give your attorney a better leg to stand on. Contact a firm like Powers Law for more information.
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