What to Do if I Was Bitten by a Dog While Working in Someone’s Home?
Whether you are a plumber, electrician, or service repairman working in someone else’s home, there is always a risk of a dog bite when the property owner has a dog.
Situations where a repairman is injured while working in someone’s home are not uncommon in New Hampshire and other states. But is the victim entitled to compensation if they were bitten by a dog while working at a private residence?
If you were injured in a dog bite incident while working in someone’s home, consult with our Manchester dog bite attorneys at the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC to discuss your options.
Can a dog bite victim working in someone’s home seek compensation for the injury?
When a service repairman is attacked and bitten by a dog while doing work in someone’s home, there may be multiple options for seeking compensation, depending on the circumstances:
- The employer’s workers’ compensation insurance; and/or
- The homeowners’ insurance for the property owner, the dog owner, or the dog keeper.
Under New Hampshire’s workers’ compensation law, specifically RSA 281-A:5, all employers who have any employees, both part- and full-time, are legally required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance to cover their employees’ work-related injuries and illnesses. Thus, if you are working at the time of your injury – in our situation, at the time of a dog bite – you may be entitled to compensation through your employer’s workers’ comp insurance carrier.
However, since you were attacked by the dog at a private residence, the homeowners’ insurance may also kick in to cover your damages and losses. In fact, the injured worker may be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits and also file a claim against the homeowner’s insurance.
It is highly advised to discuss your case with an attorney knowledgeable about both workers’ compensation and dog bites in New Hampshire to determine what type of insurance coverage would cover your losses in your particular case.
Workers’ compensation insurance vs. homeowners’ insurance
So, does it mean that a person who was bitten by a dog while working in someone’s home entitled to compensation through both their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance and also the liable party’s homeowners’ insurance?
Technically, yes. But it does not mean that there will be double recovery for the injured worker. Under New Hampshire law, workers’ compensation insurance covers an injured worker’s medical expenses and 60% of their lost wages if their injury causes them to miss more than three days of work.
However, if the dog bite victim also receives a settlement through the homeowners’ insurance, the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier will be reimbursed for what it has paid to the worker.
What to do after a dog bite in someone’s home?
If you were bitten by a dog while working in another person’s home, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention and report the incident to the local police so they can confirm the dog has been vaccinate and does not present a risk of rabies. Then, if you are employed, you should report the dog bite incident to your employer to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
Also, it is highly advised to consult with a knowledgeable dog bite attorney and workers’ compensation attorney in New Hampshire to determine how you can seek compensation for your work-related dog bite injury. Contact the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC for a case evaluation. Call 603-624-7200 today.
