Many people think about the risk of infection when they think about a dog bite. While that’s usually the primary risk, the pressure of the bite force of some dogs can lead to fractured bones. This is especially true when the bite occurs to the face, toes, or fingers.
The average dog bite is much more powerful than a human bite. A human bite averages 120 to 140 pounds per square inch (PSI), but the average dog bite is 23.0 to 320 PSI. That amount of pressure on smaller bones in the body can cause them to break.
Dog bites are complex injuries
The risk of infection coupled with the fracture makes this a complex injury to treat. The broken skin from the bite could mean that traditional treatments for the broken bone are difficult and painful. There’s also an increased risk of infection because bacteria thrive in the dark, warm, moist environment beneath a cast.
Dog bite injuries are typically worse when the dog has a wider jaw and when the victim is a child. Even if the injury doesn’t look too bad from the outside, there can be extensive damage beneath the skin. Victims of dog bites may need an x-ray to determine if there’s a fracture so they can get appropriate medical care.
Any victim of a dog bite should seek compensation to shift the financial responsibility to the liable party. Including all the damages you’re due, including lost wages and medical care costs, helps you to reduce the financial impact the injury has on your life.
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