What Can I Do if My Child was Disfigured By a Dog Attack in Illinois? 

 Posted on January 24, 2022 in Personal Injury

Dog attacks are frightening for anyone, but for children, they can be particularly scary. Not only are many dogs stronger and bigger than most children, but the effects of a dog attack in a child’s youth can have a life-long impact on their relationship with dogs and other animals.

In addition to the psychological harm of dog attacks, the injuries sustained in dog bites can be extremely painful, require extensive medical treatment, and be serious enough to permanently disfigure a child. If your child has suffered from a disfiguring dog bite injury, you may want to speak with an experienced Illinois dog bite attorney to explore your legal options.

What are the Effects of Dog Bite Scarring? 

Most children acquire scars as a normal part of the rough-and-tumble nature of childhood, but dog bites can leave scars that are disfiguring. Dog bites on a child’s face and neck can leave particularly noticeable scars.  A child with facial scarring is not only constantly reminded of the trauma she experienced but is likely to struggle with social connections and job prospects. In addition to the impact this can have on a child's daily life, studies suggest that individuals with facial disfigurement and other disabilities may face discrimination in hiring practices.

What Medical Treatment Do Serious Dog Bites Require? 

Dog bites often require extensive medical treatment. In addition to an initial urgent medical response, such as stitches and antibiotic treatment, ongoing treatment to mitigate the appearance of scar tissue includes: 

• Skin grafts - If a dog bite causes significant damage to a large area of the body, a child may need to have skin removed from another area and transplanted to the bite site.

• Dermabrasion - This is a painful medical procedure that removes the top layers of skin in an attempt to smooth out raised scar tissue.

• Cosmetic injections - Steroid and collagen injections may be necessary to reduce the development of scar tissue and fill in pitted areas from bite damage.

• Cosmetic surgery - Laser surgery can sometimes be helpful when repairing or removing scar tissue. Revision surgery, in which skin is reopened and carefully closed to minimize scar tissue visibility, may also be necessary.

For many children, multiple treatments are necessary to try to reduce disfigurement. These procedures are painful, expensive, and often require significant healing time. If your child needs extensive medical treatment to heal scar tissue from a dog bite, an attorney may be able to help you recover compensation from the dog’s owner so you do not have to shoulder the financial burden yourself.

Call a Cook County Dog Bite Disfigurement Lawyer

Dog bites can be serious, causing lifelong scarring and disfigurement. If your child has been seriously injured by a dog bite, it is important to speak with a Cook County dog attack attorney. At Schwartz Injury Law, we take dog bite incidents seriously and advocate aggressively for our clients so they can get the compensation they need to treat their injuries and begin the road to recovery. We offer free case reviews so you can learn more about your options at no risk to you. Call us today at 708-888-2160.

Sources: 

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1704&ChapterID=41 

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/fulltext.asp?DocName=051000050K13 

https://repository.uel.ac.uk/download/67d4c2323d8aea548813b815fa7d5647e6357d94b0f092f50a81a58615c4b44d/131172/2013_Stone_Wright.pdf