Dog Bite Injuries to Postal and Delivery Workers in Michigan

Our Michigan dog bite and attack attorneys at Buckfire & Buckfire P.C. represent United States postal workers and mail carriers in dog bite and animal attack cases.  Postal workers and mail carriers are often the victims of dog bite and animal attacks while delivering mail to their customers.  Due to postal workers delivering mail by foot, they are tremendously susceptible to attacks from unleashed and unrestricted dogs in their route.

In one year alone, more than 5,600 mail carriers were victims of dog attacks according to the U.S. Postal Service.  The U.S. Postal Service also states, an average of 10 letter carriers suffer from dog related injuries every day! This emphasizes the danger to those who provide a vital public service and indicates that dog owners who benefit from home mail delivery are becoming increasingly careless about assuring the safety of those who provide it.

Dog Bites & Attacks On Postal Workers Are Preventable

Dog attacks can be easily avoidable if pet owners keep their dogs inside the home or confined securely in an area away from where the mail is being delivered. Keep fences repaired and gates latched or locked. If your dog has found or made a hole through which to escape, be sure it is fixed quickly!

Common Victims Of Dog Attacks & Bites

According to the Humane Society of the U.S. the top three most frequent victims of dog bites are: small children, the elderly and the USPS letter carriers. In fact, recent statistics show the annual number of dog attacks exceeds the reported instances of measles, whooping cough, and mumps combined. Dog Bite victims account for up to five percent of emergency room visits.

Medical expenses, workers’ compensation, legal costs, delivery curtailment, carrier replacement, and other costs associated with dog bite accidents are estimated to exceed $25 million annually for the Postal Service. The cost in employee pain and suffering cannot be measured.

Even a friendly dog can become suddenly territorial. Mail carriers also become the target of attack because they are usually moving quickly and confidently and more likely to attract a dog’s attention and stimulate its desire for a chase that may end up in serious or even fatal injuries.

Claims From Injuries Sustained During Dog Bite & Attack

If a Federal Express driver suffers an injury from a dog bite or is attacked by a dog or other animal, such as a cat, rabbit, or ferret, while at an individual’s home, the Federal Express driver has two types of claims arising out of the dog bite or attack under Michigan law.

• The first claim is a claim for workers compensation benefits, where the injured worker will receive wage loss benefits during the period of disability from the attack, and also receive medical expense benefits for all treatment related to injuries from the animal bite and/or attack.
• The second claim is against the dog owner or animal owner for pain and suffering damages resulting from injuries from the animal bite or attack. Dog attacks often result in significant scarring and disfigurement and bone fractures. Under the Michigan law for dog bite injuries and attacks, the owner or keeper of the dog may be strictly liable for the attack and for failing to keep the dog properly leashed. Additionally, the animal owner will be responsible for repaying the workers compensation benefits paid out by the Federal Express Company.

United Postal Service drivers are often the victims of dog bite and animal attacks while delivering packages to their customers. UPS drivers have to get out of their truck and drop off packages at your front or back doors, creating vulnerability to attacks from unleashed and unrestrained dogs in the neighborhood. Federal Express attacks by other animals are also not uncommon. According to statistics, each day, about 1,000 U.S. citizens require emergency care treatment for a dog bite injury totaling nearly 4.7 million people each year.

According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), most injuries that occurred from 2009 through 2012 on mail delivery routes were caused by either a fall or a dog bite. In fact, the USPS statistics show that on average, every week a postal carrier in the U.S. Post Office’s Detroit District is bitten. This statistic is alarming and unfortunately is increasing over the entire southeastern area of Michigan.

In Detroit, mail carriers have been confronted by packs of stray dogs. Other times, people simply do not control their pets. In cases where a dog owner does not control their animal, they can be held liable under the law and may be sued for the victims injuries.

Strict Liability for Dog Bites

Michigan has enacted statutory strict liability under what is commonly referred to as the dog-bite statute. Under this law, if a dog bites a person, without provocation, while the person is on public property, or lawfully on private property, including the property of the owner of the dog, the owner of the dog is be liable for any damages suffered by the person bitten, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner’s knowledge of such viciousness. This means that if someone is bitten while lawfully on public or private property, the owner of the dog is automatically liable for any injury or damage the dog causes as long as the dog was not provoked. In addition, throughout the State o f Michigan there are ordinances in place that make it unlawful for any person to suffer or permit a vicious, fierce or dangerous dog to be unconfined and unrestrained on such person’s premises.

Contact Your Michigan Postal Worker Dog Bite Lawyer

Our experienced lawyers will hire specialized investigators to document the incident, supplementing any evidence you have been able to collect for your dog bite lawsuit. For more information on your legal rights after a dog bite injury, call us now!