When your neighborhood mail carrier tells you he doesn’t buy the story that your cocker spaniel, whose bared fangs are inches from his ankle, never bites, don’t argue. Push Bowser back into his doghouse and count yourself lucky that a lawsuit won’t be staring at you along with next week’s stack of junk mail.
Arizona ranks No. 12 across the nation for the number of dog-related claims reported in the state in 2015. A State Farm report indicates there were 90 Arizona claims related to dog injuries reported to the company’s agents in 2015, with claims costs of approximately $5.7 million — an increase of seven claims from 2014, with an increase in cost that year of approximately $3.4 million. As the costs for this type of loss mounts, several insurance carriers have limited the breeds they will cover or have removed this aspect of liability coverage altogether as an exclusion.
State Farm recently released its annual dog-injury statistics to help keep the problem at the forefront for dog owners and as a reminder to the non-dog-owning public to stay alert.
According to State Farm figures, the amount paid for dog bite claims in Arizona and the average cost for those claims is dependent on many factors.
Studies show that dog-related injuries (keep in mind that not all claims are for actual dog bites but involve mishaps resulting from broken bones, as when a dog jumps on you and you fall down) may also include injuries while running from a dog and other types of unanticipated incidents.
There may be higher expenses due to lawsuits as well. It has nothing to do with pit bulls because State Farm doesn’t track the breed of dog involved in bites or injuries but it may be that people in Arizona are having more severe injuries because of interactions with dogs.
Mary Contreras of Contreras State Farm Agency advises that you check your policy to confirm if your homeowners or renters insurance covers dog-related claims.
Another aspect of the issue is that in 2015, 86 postal carriers were bitten by dogs. When a dog bites a postal worker, the homeowner insurance company still pays for that bite…and more.
An article in The Insurance Journal noted that the average cost of a dog-bite claim in 2015 was a staggering $37,214. The Insurance Journal went on to explain that Arizona’s dog bite statute holds that a dog owner is strictly liable for any injury or property damage caused by the dog, even if done without provocation.
A postal carrier who is bitten by a dog has the injury initially paid through worker’s comp but, depending on the severity of the attack, the Postal Service may seek reimbursement for the postal carriers’ medical expenses through the homeowner insurance company.
In addition, the insurance company also pays for any time the postal carrier missed work and the salary for the back-up postal carrier to work the mail route.
By the numbers:
Total dog injuries to USPS letter carriers in Arizona (2014) – 64; Total dog injuries to USPS letter carriers in Arizona (2015) – 86; Increase in dog injuries to USPS letter carriers in Arizona (2014 to 2015) – 22 bites or 34.38 percent.
